


Together: ~A DystopianTale Prequel~

by FandomArtist1273



Series: DystopianTale [1]
Category: Undertale
Genre: Boys In Love, Child Abuse, Childhood Friends, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, First Kiss, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Happy Ending, Help, How Do I Tag, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Inspired By Undertale, M/M, Past Child Abuse, Self-Harm, Sleepy Cuddles, Teasing, happy bois
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-03
Updated: 2020-03-31
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:54:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 21,462
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21667774
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FandomArtist1273/pseuds/FandomArtist1273
Summary: This is a prequel for my Undertale AU, DystopianTale, which I'll be writing eventually. This story will focus on Dystopian!Ink and Dystopian!ErrorInk and Error met eachother when they were young, quickly become fast friends. Little did they know in their youth what life had in store for them, and the hardships and joys they'd go through together~I'll try to update once a week but I'm slow so I'm not going to promise anything~
Relationships: Ink/Error, sans/sans, sanscest
Series: DystopianTale [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1698970
Comments: 8
Kudos: 71





	1. So... Who are you?

**Author's Note:**

> For more about DystopianTale and my art projects, you can find me on [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/p/B5l28mWAbPj/?igshid=8pwo38p4b4fh) or [Tumblr](https://fandomartist1273.tumblr.com/post/189150992336/nisha-i-really-wanted-to-make-a-fanchild-soooo)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Little Ink goes out to play after school and meets an... interesting new friend!

~Ink: Age 10  
Error: Age 11~

“Remember, you need to stay on our street, honey.”  
Ink looked up from tying his shoes; a wide smile was plastered across his round face, the gap between his two front teeth in full view for anyone to see, “I know mommy! I won’t forget!”  
The young skeleton’s mother gently rubbed the top of his head, smiling warmly. “Come home right away if someone starts acting weird, ok? We don’t want something bad to happen..”  
“I’ll be fine, mom! I’m 10 years old, I can play outside on my own now!”  
“I know.. I know.” Winter Agate, Ink’s mom, laughed gently and kneeled in front of her son. “But you’re still my little boy, and I want you to be safe.” Placing a hand on Ink’s face, she rubbed his cheek with her thumb in a comforting manner.  
The skeleton pushed his mother’s hand away, a pout on his ‘lips’. He was a big boy now, he didn’t need to be treated like a baby! “Can I go now?”  
It was a sunny Thursday in BlightView and Ink, having gotten home about half an hour ago from school, was antsy to get outside and play; even if he’d be doing it alone.  
Winter laughed softly again, adjusting her son’s backpack straps on his shoulders. “Alright, go have fun my little goof-ball.”  
Ink gave a small hop of excitement, his left eye shifting into a yellow star. He happily skipped to the door and gave his mother a small wave before leaving the house.  
A slight breeze hit him as he walked outside and he smiled up at the blue sky. Just as the small skeleton was about to walk down the steps of his home, he noticed a blur of movement in the corner of his eye.  
Kneeling beside the house next to Ink’s was another skeleton. He appeared to be a bit bigger than Ink, but they were probably close to the same age. What really stood out to Ink was the colour of his bones and his eyes. His bones were a deep ebony, and he had light blue stripes starting at the bottom of his red eye sockets that ran to the bottom of his face; and then there were his eyes; both were yellow, but his left eye had a small blue pupil in the middle. Ink wondered briefly if this skeleton’s eyes could change like his own. He was holding a small stick in one of his fists, and he was staring up at Ink intently.  
Now, usually Ink was fine with talking to people - not many of his classmates talked to him in the first place - but there was something about this monster that made him feel nervous. It was a weird feeling, and a part of him was scared of it.  
He decided he’d worry about the weird feeling when he was older; until then, he’d just ignore it.  
“What are you doing?” He meant to ask who the boy was, but blurted out the other question, referring to the stick in the boy’s hand, instead.  
The skeleton - who Ink was realizing looked oddly familiar - stood up, frowning. “It’s none of your business!”  
Ink pouted, hopping down the stairs to get a better look at the monster; he’d been right about the black skeleton being bigger. There was a small band aid on the bridge of the skeleton’s ‘nose’ and there was something so familiar about him…  
Ink suddenly gasped, shocking the ebony skeleton to the point of making him take a step back. “I know you!!” Ink exclaimed, his left eye changing into an exclamation mark. “You’re the new kid in my class! Your name is… ummm… Error! Your name is error, right?”  
The boy, Error, stared at Ink with a shocked expression. Ink could probably guess why; Error was always very quiet in class and Ink couldn’t think of a time where he’d heard Error talk in class. Except for maybe that first day he came, when their teacher made him introduce himself to the class. They didn’t sit near each other: Ink was near the back, while Error was at the front due to eyesight issues (if Ink was remembering correctly). Much like him, Error also appeared to not have any friends. He was always alone during recess or lunch time - if you asked Ink, it almost looked like the monster was actively avoiding talking to anyone. “I… Yeah, how do you know that?!”  
“We’re in the same class! I sit at the back though, and we’ve never actually talked so.. That’s probably why you don’t recognize me!” The small monster let out a chuckle, and Error briskly looked him up and down, eyebrows furrowing.  
“Hm...now that you say it; you do look familiar. Ink, right?”  
A burst of joy shot through Ink’s chest - Error remembered his name! Maybe this means they could be friends! “Yes! That’s me!”  
There was a minute of silence where both boys just looked at each other. Error didn’t seem like the type who liked talking… No matter! Ink had plenty he could share! And many Questions!  
“Why don’t you talk to anyone at school?” He debated asking about the stick his new almost-friend was still holding, but this ultimately seemed like the better choice: perhaps the other kids didn’t like Error either, maybe they were going through similar situations!  
Unfortunately, Error didn’t seem very pleased by the question. He glared at the smaller skeleton. “Why do you care? It’s not like you talk to anyone either.”  
“W-well, That’s not really my choice, and I thought maybe… you felt the same way..” Ink’s voice faded away, and he stared down at his feet. He had a feeling he’d already messed this up.  
“What do you mean it’s not your choice? Just talk to other kids, it's not that hard.”  
“I’ve tried that, no one likes me.” A strained smile appeared on his face as he looked back up to Error. “I thought you would have figured that out by now.” It wasn’t as if the other kids tried to hide their distaste for Ink, if anything they were incredibly vocal about it. Error had been at their school for a few weeks now, surely he’d have noticed something  
… Or not, if the blank look on his face was any hint. “Oh, um, ok, so… you’re going to find out sooner or later, so i guess i might as well tell you now-”  
“Tell me what?”  
Ink took a deep breath. “I… don’t actually have real feelings?” Error gave him a bewildered look, so he continued: “So.. You know how souls will create a special kind of magic that lets people feel emotions? My soul can’t make that magic. No one really knows why.. I have to take medicine every morning that helps my soul create that magic.”  
Ink waited for the disgust to cross Error’s face: he’d seen it before on the faces of his classmates, teachers, and even his own father before he’d disappeared. But the disgust never came. Instead, there was… interest, covered by a thin veil of confusion. “Really? Why doesn’t it? I’ve never heard of something like that happening?” He paused, thinking, then added: “Why does that make people not like you?”  
“Um well. SOme people avoid me because they think it’s contagious, while other think i’m a freak, since I’m basically soulless. They don’t like my birthmarks either.. I don’t know why though.” He pointed to the back markings that covered most of his body.  
“Oh.. That’s what those are?” He clucked his tongue, and sat down on the grass, patting the spot next to him. Ink sat next to him. “So you don’t have any friends?”  
“No, not really.” He was beginning to feel a bit uncomfortable; why couldn’t they just talk about Error? Why did it have to be about him?  
“That’s stupid.” Error grunted, looking down at his stick, brows furrowed in concentration. “I’ll be your friend.”  
Ink’s body perked up from his hunched position. “Really?!”  
The ebony skeleton just shrugged, giving Ink a small smile. “Sure. You seem like the only kid in our class worth knowing anyway.”  
Ink clapped excitedly, practically jumping on the spot, making Error laugh, sending another wave of glee though the smaller monster. “Oh! So why do you have a stick?”  
His new friend hesitated for a moment before saying: “I was going to practice my magic. Dad doesn’t like it when I do it inside so I usually go to the backyard.”  
“You’re allowed to do it alone? Mommy says i need supervision.”  
“My parents don’t care.” He said this in a way that made it obvious that he did not want to talk about his parents at all. “You wanna come with me?”  
“Well…”  
“I could help you with your own powers.” A mischievous smile spread across his face, his eyes twinkling.  
Ink knew he should say no, but.. He did like the idea of learning new things, and his mom didn’t seem too keen on letting him use magic, fearing he’d hurt himself.  
“Ok!!”  
*****  
“You have to really concentrate if you want to make something like a bone.”  
Ink nodded, pursing his lips as the magic ‘bone’ wavered in his hands,before completely dispersering. The skeleton huffed in annoyance.  
Error had led them both to the back of his house. There wasn’t much in the backyard; just a table and a few chairs. The two boys were gathered around the large tree that sprouted in the center of the yard; Error had tied up multiple sticks and a few empty bottles to one of the lower branches with some strings that he’d somehow made.  
Ink hoped he’d teach him how he did the strings thing.  
“You almost got it that time.” Error was tossing the bone he managed to create - within a matter of seconds, much to Ink’s displeasure.  
“How are you so good at that?”  
“At what? Magic?” He shrugged, looking at the conjured bone in his hand, letting it fade away. “I don’t know. I’ve had a lot more time to practice than you. Plus, I’m older, so...”  
“Only By 6 months!!” Ink whined, sticking his tongue out at his friend.  
Error snorted, and rolled his eyes playfully. “You’ll get there eventually. We just gotta keep practicing.”  
Ink smiled widely and nodded. In the distance, he heard his mother call him.  
“What was that?”  
“My mom!” He rocked back on his heels. He couldn’t wait to tell his mom about his new friend! She’d be so happy for him! “I have to go home now.”  
It was obvious to Ink that Error was trying to hide his disappointment: the way his smile twitched downwards for a second, and his eyes losing their happy shine were dead giveaways.  
“Oh, ok.” He shoved his hands into his sweater pockets. “I should probably go inside too.”  
“We’ll see each other tomorrow, right?”  
“Uh-huh.”  
“Yay!” Winter called out to Ink again, her voice covered in worry. “See you tomorrow then!” With a small wave, Ink ran off to his own home, leaving Error alone in his backyard.  
For the first time, Error missed having someone with him.  
*****  
Ink decided that School is a lot more enjoyable when you have a friend. Sure, he liked going to class before hand, but when you actually had someone to talk to, it got a whole lot better.  
Error was also be a lot more social than Ink thought: once you got him going, he was almost as chatty as Ink was.  
Last night, after Ink came home and told his mom about Error, she went over to his place and made arrangements for their first playdate after school. Ink was absolutely ecstatic. It was the end of the day now, and Winter would be picking them up soon; both boys were packing up their things, Ink talking a mile a minute.  
“Error Sona?” Their teacher, Ms. Opis, called from her desk at the back of the room. “Can you come here?”  
“Are you in trouble?” Ink whispered.  
“Nah, it’s probably just another ‘catch-up’ assignment. You know, since I wasn’t here for like, half of the year.” The small skeleton hummed, still a bit worried. The last thing he wanted was for his friend to get in trouble! “Geez, don’t look so worried Ink, it’s not going to be anything bad. Just wait for me outside, yeah? I won’t be long.”  
“Um.. ok, i’ll meet you out there then?” Error gave him a thumbs up. Ink wandered out of the school and into the sunlight. It was hot today, uncomfortably so. A group of kids, whom Ink recognized, were gathered around the entrance. All three of them had teased the poor boy about his soul and markings. The first one, Aria, was easily the calmest of the three - she’d still make fun of Ink, but really wasn’t all that vicious. Next, there was Nessues, a large monster who, in Ink’s opinon, was pretty stupid. And last there was the Bylk, the ‘leader’ of the group, and by far the worst out of them all. He was always the first to throw a punch if it came to it. It seemed as if he got some kind of sick joy from hurting others, especially if it was Ink.  
“Well, looky who it is. The little freak has arrived!” Bylk called, his gang surrounding him, like a pack of wild animals hunting their prey.  
“... What do you want?” Ink had managed to go all day without any teasing, and he’d been hoping to keep it that way.  
“We’re just trying to help you!” Aria chirped, her voice sickenly sweet.  
All three of the kids held up markers, wicked grins on their face. Bylk sneered. “We wanted to give you these! Black’s so boring, we figured you could at least brighten up those ugly marks this way!”  
Markers were thrown at Ink from all around him, he yelped and shrank to his knees, covering his face. “What’s that? Not even a little ‘thank you’?” There was a swift kick to his left side, the skeleton cried out in pain, falling over to his side. “So it’s ugly and ungrateful!”  
One of them punched him, aiming for his head. He managed to protect his skull, but he’d definitely have a bruise on his arm.  
Then there was a kick to his spine.  
And one to his ribs.  
Tears streamed from Ink’s eye sockets as he begged the three monsters to stop.  
And then it did.  
There was a loud grunt - it sounding like it came from Nessues. Slowly, the skeleton moved his arms away from his head, uncurling himself from the ball he had made; his vision was blurry from his tears. Sniffing, he whipped them away. Blyk and Aria had their backs to Ink, and Nessues was a few feet away, sitting on the ground, rubbing the back of his head. Blue strings loosely hung off of him, and led in a trail to Error.  
A very angry Error.  
His fists were clenched, and his left eye shone a bright blue, and he was glaring daggers at the two kids still in front of Ink.  
“Get away from him.”  
Silence hung in the air, thick with tension. Then Bylk laughed.  
“Oh god, seriously?! You’re the one hanging out with this freak?!”  
Error took a step towards them, the air around him buzzed with his magic. Aria stepped away, and Nessues stood back up, taking his place next to the ‘gang’s’ leader. “I said, get. Away. From. Him!”  
“Or what?!” The bullies’ magic buzzed to life. “You’re outnumbered blackberry.”  
Error snapped. His hands rose swiftly, wrapping his strings around Bylk’s arms and yanking him forward. The griffin-like monster stumbled, and Error took that time to come up to him, his fist colliding roughly against the side of the other’s face. Bylk fell backwards, crashing against the concrete. Nessues took a swipe at the skeleton while he was focused on the griffin, hitting him against his nose. Error stumbled back, wiping at his now bloody nose. He was breathing heavily, and Ink could see the wrath in his eye sockets.  
Error was good at magic, probably the best in the class. But he wouldn’t be able to keep it up for a very long time, especially when it was one against two. “Stop it!” His voice cracked mid sentence, more tears forming in his eyes.  
“SHUT UP!” Bylk screamed, turning to look at Ink who was still on the ground.  
That was a bad idea.  
Error slammed his body into Bylk’s, knocking him onto his back with Error on top of him; his fists coming down on the monster, hard. The griffin clawed and smacked him, attempting anything to get the angry skeleton off of him. Nessues was quick to grab one of Error’s arms, trying to pry him away, only to get pushed off as magic bones barely missed him. Ink was screaming at Error to stop, but he couldn’t hear himself, everything was a blur.  
It was too much.  
Error was bleeding.  
Bylk was sobbing.  
Ink curled back up into a ball, breathing heavy, his eyes stinging from his tears.  
He wasn’t sure how long he stayed like that, but he finally felt a hand gingerly touch his shoulder. Ink jolted, sitting up straight and scooting away. Error kneeled in front of him, worry covering his features.  
His nose was still bleeding, and some of his blood was smeared along is upper ‘lip’, there were scratches along his cheeks, and he’d have a black eye in the morning. His clothes were dirty, but it didn’t seem like anything was ripped. “Are you ok?” His voice was soft, the complete opposite of how it had sounded just a few minutes ago.  
Tears overflowed Ink’s eyes again, and he wrapped his arms around Error, knocking the other boy onto his butt. “Why did you do that?! You dummy!”  
“They were hurting you?”  
“SO?! Look at yourself, Error! They could have really hurt you! Why didn’t you just get a teacher or something?!”  
“Dunno. I just reacted … And I’m fine, don’t worry about me.” He pushed the other skeleton off of him, wiping his bloody nose against his sleeve.  
“You’re bleeding! You’re not fine! WHat if they killed you?!”  
“That’s impossible.”  
Ink huffed, crossing his arms. “You make no sense… we need to get you to my mom, she’ll help you, she’s a nurse!” He stood, and wobbled on his legs, unsteady. Error was next to him almost instantly, helping him regain his balance.  
“Ink?”  
“What?” The younger of the two boys pulled on the older one’s sleeve, eager to get him to his mother.  
“I did it because you’re my friend”  
“... huh?”  
“I did it because we’re friends.” He paused, talking Ink’s hand. “And as your friend. I promise I won’t let anyone hurt you.”  
Why couldn’t Error walk faster?! “You can’t do that-”  
“I just did.”  
Ink huffed, his mom’s vehicle coming into view. “I don’t want you getting hurt, dummy.”  
Error didn’t respond to that as Winter came rushing to them, but later the ebony skeleton had whispered: “I don’t mind getting hurt if it means you’ll be safe. I promise to protect you.”  
Ink had no idea how much that promise meant to his friend.  
But he’d figure it out.  
Eventually.


	2. Talk to me...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ink and Error have grown up a bit, but everything isn't as good as it seems
> 
> *I have marked out a section of this chapter with a trigger warning. If you are sensitive to self harm, physical/emotional abuse or mentions of suicide, please skip over the section I have marked out*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For more about DystopianTale and my art projects, you can find me on [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/p/B5l28mWAbPj/?igshid=8pwo38p4b4fh) or [Tumblr](https://fandomartist1273.tumblr.com/post/189150992336/nisha-i-really-wanted-to-make-a-fanchild-soooo)

Ink: Age 16  
Error: Age 17

Ink sighed, leaning back against the large oak tree behind him. Error, who sat beside him, looked up from his own math textbook, adjusting his red framed glasses. “You good?”

  
“My brain hurts.”

  
Error hummed, closing his book and tossing it aside. “We don’t have brains.”

  
Ink groaned and rolled his eyes, earning a snort from his friend. “Since when have you cared if something was accurate or not?”

  
“Since just now.” The taller skeleton took off his glasses, placing them into their special case. “The sun’s gonna go down soon. We should probably head back.”

  
The two boys were about half an hour out of town, at a small hill with a tree at the top; they found out about the place when they were younger, when Winter had taken them out for a picnic. Once they had gotten their driver's license, it became one of their regular hangout spots; along with Ink’s room.

  
… Speaking of which, it suddenly occurred to Ink that he’d never actually been in Error’s room. Or his house in general.

  
“Hey, earth-to-shorty.” Error gave him a gentle push, Ink blew a raspberry.

  
“Don’t call me that, you jerk.”

  
Error snorted again, leaning over to rest his arms on his knees. He gave Ink a wink, making the smaller skeleton’s ‘stomach’ do a flip, and his cheeks to flush. “It’s not my fault you’re only 4 feet tall”

  
Ink sank into his turtleneck sweater, efficiently hiding his ever growing blush. “I’m 4’11, not 4 feet.”

  
Error scooted closer to him, poking his cheek. “Aw, come on. Don’t be mad, I was only teasing you.”

  
_That’s_ _the_ _problem_ , _you_ _idiot_ …

  
Ink had known for a while now that he had feelings for his taller friend. When they first started grade nine he started noticing he enjoyed being with Error more than just a friend would, and he’d get moments where he just wanted to hug him, or cuddle him and fall asleep curled up to his chest, or hold hands as they walked together.

  
Or kiss him.

  
He really, really wanted to kiss him.

  
Shaking his head to rid himself of the thoughts, he pushed Error’s hand away and stuck his tongue out. “Not all of us were blessed with incredible height”

  
.”Awe, you think I’m incredible?” Error wiggled his eyebrows as Ink’s blush darkened.

  
“Screw you!”

  
The ebony skeleton erupted into laughter, rocking backward. “You’re like an angry kitten, oh my god!”

  
Ink huffed, throwing a pencil at his friend, and gathered up the rest of his stuff into his bag. “Oh, whatever. Let’s head back, you big Glitch.”

  
Error gave a weak chuckle at his nickname, standing up to follow Ink to their car - since the two of them were almost always together, they decided they would buy the car together, and take turns driving.

  
“Do you want to hang out at my place for a bit? I think my mom was planning on baking cookies today.”

  
“Oh hell yeah, her baking is the fucking best.”

  
Ink slid into the car’s passenger seat, laughing and rolling his eyes. “Didn’t you say you were going to work on not swearing so much?

  
Error started the engine, and it made a whirring noise as it came to life. “I lied. I’m here for a fun time, not a long time, so I’ll say whatever shit I want to.” Ink giggled quietly, but there was a part of that sentence that made a lump form in his throat.

  
The ebony skeleton switched on the radio, an upbeat song suddenly filling the silence. Ink felt his worries wash away; things were good, they only had one more year of high school after this, and nothing bad was really happening in the world.

  
And he had Error.

  
The small monster felt himself relax, singing loudly and happily to the songs on the radio.n Eventually he got his friend to sing as well which only made his cheeks bloom with colour once again.

*****  
Error grabbed another one of the still warm cookies off the plate in the middle on Ink’s bed, listening to the smaller monster ramble from the other end of the bed.. He always enjoyed being with Ink in his room; obviously not only because he was with his friend, but because the room was so colourful, cozy, and so very ‘Ink”.

  
The walls were painted baby blue with a soft gray carpet covering the floor. Above his plush bed - that was easily big enough for the both of them to sit (or lay) on at the same time - was Ink’s rainbow flag. In grade ten, during their school’s pride day, all the students were encouraged to wear rainbow items, or anything that supported the LGBTQ+ community. Ink managed to get Error to wear two buttons- one with the pan flag, and the other one with a rainbow - since he didn’t own any pride items himself, and the smaller skeleton has decided to tie his flag around his neck and wear it like a cape all day.  
The poor monster had been bullied ruthlessly by a lot of their classmates because of it, and it came to the point that Error debated beating the shit out of them. He didn’t though, per Ink’s requests.  
Now the flag stayed in his home, behind closed doors.  
It pissed Error off to no end. He could still remember the way Ink’s eyes had drained of their sparkle when the flag idea backfired.  
At least Winter was accepting of her son.  
Unlike some people Error knew...  
He shook his head, slipping back to the moment at hand.  
Next to Ink’s bed was a side table with a glass of water and a lamp sitting on it. Next to the lamp was a framed photo of Error and Ink taken when the where 10 and 11, during their first summer as friends. Error remembered once asking his shorter friend why he decided to frame that photo, and not one that was more recent. The white skeleton had smiled and explained that that photo was extra special because it was taken so soon after they met; and that it meant a lot to Ink that they became friends.  
Error didn’t know why someone like Ink cared about him, but he was thankful nonetheless.  
“Error?”  
The ebony skeleton snapped his eyes away from the picture and focused back on his friend, his cheeks turning blue. He’d completely zoned out, and had no idea what Ink had been saying.  
The monster giggled, cheeks coming to life with a dusting of colour. “You got kinda distracted there, you ok?”  
“Yeah, yeah I’m fine. Uh, sorry, can you repeat what you were saying?”  
Ink giggled again, making Error blush harder: it was such a soft sound… it made him want to hold the smaller monster close to him, to find other ways to make him make that sound.  
… wait.  
What the hell has gotten into me?!  
It wasn’t necessarily the first time he had thought something like that, and it always made him do a double take on himself.  
He wondered what it meant.  
“ I was talking about how I get my braces off in a few months!” He smiled widely, showing off the brackets and wires that covered the surface of his teeth.  
Error hummed, then said, “I still don’t understand why you wanted to get those in the first place. The teeth gap was cute.”  
Ink’s eyes widened, his blush darkening immensely. He covered his face, grumbling. “No it wasn’t… it gave me a lisp when I started getting older, especially if i was talking fast. Besides, Bylk and his friends said-”  
“You shouldn’t listen to what those assholes say.”  
“COme on, Error, they’re not that bad anymore…”  
Oh, sure. They weren’t ‘that bad’ because Bylk was absolutely terrified of Error, all because he beat his ass back in fifth grade. Truth be told, Bylk was also only 5’6, while Error was a towering 6’0. Not that he was complaining about it, he liked that Ink wasn’t getting harassed as much anymore, but the griffin’s little gang still took jabs at the small skeleton when he was alone (since Error and him only had two classes together this year).  
At least they knew better than to actually lay a finger on the skeleton now.  
“Whatever, they’re assholes.”  
Ink huffed, leaning back against his pillows. “It’s getting late.” He said after a few minutes.  
Error groaned, turning to his phone. Sure enough, it was almost 10:30.  
Fuck  
“Guess I should head home then.”  
“Mm… yeah, I guess so. Oh! That reminds me. I’m not going to be at school tomorrow morning!” “What? Why not?”  
“Another doctor appointment.” Ink rolled his eyes, sighing heavily. For as long as Error knew him, Ink had always have to miss at least a day of school every two months for a ‘doctor’s’ appointment. From what the small skeleton had explained, all they did was take a look at his soul, make sure his magic levels were good and somehow they checked to make sure he was feeling things normally.  
… Error didn’t really understand it.  
“Do they bother you?”  
“Eh, not really. They used to make me kinda uncomfortable but, you know. I’ve had so many, they’re normal now.” He let out a small laugh. “That being said, they are pretty annoying.”  
The ebony skeleton couldn’t help but wonder what that must be like for Ink; what goes through his head when he really thinks about it.  
“I...should be going” Error stood up, grabbing his school bag off the floor.  
Ink waved. “See ya, Error!” He called after him as he waved and left the room.  
He gave a short goodbye to Ink’s mother - who was sitting at the kitchen table, reading through some papers - and thanked her for the cookies before exiting out into the chilly night air. A wave a dread hit him as he stood at his front door.  
Sucking in a breath, he unlocked the door, and pushed it open; praying his father was passed out.  
Light from the TV in the living room eerily illuminated the dining room and front entrance. The stairs in front of Error looked like a tunnel, leading into a dark abyss. The seventeen-year-old pulled off his shoes and silently leaned into the living room. His father, Cyber Sona, sat spralled out on the reclining chair, empty beer cans and bottles littering the tables and some floor space around him: some were old, and others were new.  
Error’s nose scrunched up in disgust and he quickly left the room; trying to be as quiet as possible as he went upstairs to his room, careful not to wake up his dad. Closing the door, Error sighed, sinking down onto his bed and dropping his bag carelessly onto the floor.  
His room wasn’t anything like Ink’s; while his friend’s room was colourful and full of life, his was dark and gray. His bed was pressed against the wall next to the window and pointed towards Ink’s room - there had been many nights where they’d both sit by their windows, talking to each other through their phones. On the wall adjacent to his bed, he had a wooden desk covered in grade school assignments and writing utensils with his laptop sitting on top of it all. He also had a closet for clothes and such, but that was about it.  
The house was deathly quiet, aside from the mindless chatter of the TV and occasional snore from the sleeping monster downstairs. Rolling over on his bed, the skeleton plucked his earphones off the cluttered side table next to his bed and plugged them into his phone.  
He pressed play on a playlist, setting his phone down beside him, and stared up at the ceiling.  
A recognizable numbness washed over him as the music made the house disappear around him, leaving only him...all alone. The feeling usually came when he got home from Ink’s, though sometimes it wasn’t so bad. Some days it was worse. Sometimes it lasted for days at a time, and he could barely bring himself to drag his ass out of bed.  
Most days the numbness evolved into a deep and desperate sadness.  
He rolled onto his side, pulling his comforter up and over top of him and burrowing his face into the pillow and blankets. He knew that sleep wouldn’t come to him, not yet at least, but the warmth gave him at least a little comfort; like a leash, keeping him tied to the real world and protecting him from falling into his thoughts completely.  
Things always got worse when that happens.  
*****  
“Error!”  
The skeleton looked up as his name was called, his eyes landing on Ink; who was running across their school’s front lawn to where the ebony monster sat  
“Hey.”  
Ink plopped down onto the grass beside him, huffing. “What are you doing out here? Aren’t Basketball tryouts going on right now?” A breeze blew past them, kicking up a few of the yellow and red leaves that littered the ground; Error shivered, but he much preferred the cold to the heat of the summer. Besides, in fall, no one looked at you weird for always wearing sweaters.  
“Last I heard, yeah. In the gym.” He snorted, raising an eyebrow at his friend. “Why? You wanna join this year?”  
“Oh gods no! I just… I figured you would tryout.”  
“Why?”  
The white skeleton picked up a fallen leaf, idly ripping it up into small bits. “You were on the team in grade 9, and last year… you were really good too. It looked like you had a lot of fun.”  
Error pulled anxiously at the sleeves of his hoodie and avoided looking at Ink. It was true, he had really enjoyed playing on the team and his height definitely gave him an advantage that made him feel… powerful. Useful. Or it had, at least. Now he couldn’t find any motivation to try it again.  
It doesn’t make him excited anymore. Nothing really did.  
So what was the point?  
“I just… don’t feel like doing it this year.”  
Ink hummed, reaching out and taking Error’s hand. The larger skeleton stiffened. “I feel like you’re not telling me something…”  
Error pulled his hand away, stuffing it into his pocket. Why did Ink have to care?!  
“You can talk to me about anything, you know…”  
“Ink…”  
He looked up, meeting his friend’s gaze. Ink stared back at him, locking their eyes and not looking away for a second. “I really, really care about you Error… I’m here to help you… Is, um, is everything ok? At home and stuff?”  
The bell rang, the sound all but piercing through the air. The taller of the two boys all but jumped up, grabbing his bag. “See you in fifth period.”  
Ink called after him as he quickly walked away, cursing himself. He rubbed his arms nervously, his mind wandering to the scars underneath. How did Ink know?! He made sure to never bring up anything from his home life, made sure to never mention the secrets carved onto his ulna and radius.  
Ink wasn’t supposed to know.  
He wasn’t even supposed to suspect anything.  
That was the whole fucking point!!  
Error promised to protect him. He promised. If Ink knew what he’d done, what he thought.. it would hurt him. How the hell could he still says he’ll protect him if he’s the one who hurts him?!  
Well, technically there was something he could do…  
Error pushed the thought down. Now wasn’t the time for that.  
He’d continue to deny anything his friend threw at him. He’d act the same as he has for the past two years. Ink didn’t really know. He was just worried. All Error had to do was squash that worry. As if it were a cockroach.  
After all, he was fine.  
Error sat down at his desk, pulling out his science papers, his eye lingering on his arm.  
… He just needed for Ink to believe he was fine, whether or not that was true couldn’t matter less.  
*****  
“Are you doing anything for Halloween?”  
Error glanced quickly at Ink who sat in the passenger side of the car. The white skeleton was staring out the window, his chin resting in his palm.  
He looked relaxed.  
_Cute_.  
“Nah. Mom usually hands out the candy and dad does what he always does. You know neither of them really go out of their way to celebrate this sorta thing.”  
Ink giggled, eyes shifting toward his friend as he cheeks gained colour. “So you’ve said, multiple times.” He sat back in the seat, arms crossed in front of him. “Anyways, my mom’s going out to a party on Halloween night, leaving little ol’ me to tend to handing the candy out all alone.” The small skeleton dramatically wiped at fake tears, faux pouting. Error snorted. “And I thought, maybe a certain someone could come over that night to help me. We could even watch horror movies and binge eat some snacks!”  
The monster driving snorted again as Ink awaited his response. He knew the ebony skeleton would say yes; they always hung out on Halloween. When they were younger, Winter would take them out Trick-or-Treating together and the two boys would have a sleepover afterwards; where they’d giggle and eat way too much junk food. But, seeing as both of the monsters had outgrown their candy hunting days, they preferred to stay in and watch bad horror movies while eating chips and popcorn; with Error occasionally making a crude joke about the film they were watching or something else that had happened during the day.  
“Isn’t it just a given that I’ll come over now?”  
“I mean, yeah. But I didn’t want to assume anything.” Ink winked, giggles erupting from him as Error stuck his tongue out in response.  
“We could totally play a prank on the kids as they show up. Give ‘em a little trick with their tre-“  
Error stopped mid-sentence, his tongue becoming cement in his mouth. He was just pulling up to the sidewalk in front of their houses when his eyes had landed on his father, standing on the front steps of his home.  
He was mad.  
Actually, mad was an understatement. Cyber looked absolutely pissed.  
Error swallowed hard, grip tightening on the steering wheel. What had happened to get his dad so mad? Nothing came to his mind when he tried to think of something he’d done: his room was pretty clean, his bed was bed made, the laundry put away. He hadn’t done anything wrong so what-  
His mind skidded to a stop like a train that was pushed off the tracks and ending with a loud, fiery crash.  
The pins.  
The pins Ink had gotten him a year ago. He’d made sure to keep them tucked away so his dad wouldn’t see them, but this morning he had been in a rush trying to find where his extra pair of headphones had gone. He had pulled them out and left them on his desk. He had eventually found what he was looking for, but had forgotten to put those secret pins away (He had accidentally crushed his good pair of headphones the night prior, and had made a mental note to buy some new ones).  
Now, if his father had been anyone else they wouldn’t have thought twice about seeing the pins. Or maybe they wouldn’t have cared. But this was Error’s father, the man who’d take any opportunity he saw to harass his son; be that verbally, or - on the rare occasion - physically.  
“Is that your dad?”  
“Yup.” His voice cracked and he cursed himself. He took a deep breath and blocked off his emotions to the best of his ability, isolating them from his voice.  
“He looks mad… did something happen?”  
“Dunno.” He turned the car off, undoing his seatbelt. “You should head home. I’ll call you later.” His voice sounded distant and hollow, even to himself.  
Ink hesitated, looking his tall friend up and down, checking for any signs that he wasn’t ok. Once satisfied, he sighed and muttered a small ‘ok’ before leaving the car. Error exited after him, watching as the small monster walked solemnly to his home with Cyber glaring at him. Hatred boiled up in Error’s soul, Ink hadn’t done anything wrong. How dare his father look upon him with such hateful and condescending feelings.  
With his back straightened, he strutted up to his father who had turned his angry gaze to his son. Error met his eyes with the same loathing stare.  
Error looked remarkably like his father: they had the same dark bones with the rare red and yellow bone along their bodies, they both had the same blue markings under their eyes (though Error only had three strips while Cyber had five.) The only things different between the two monsters were their eyes - Errors were a bright red, with one yellow eyelight and the other yellow with a blue pupil; while his father’s eye sockets were black, like most skeletons, with yellow eyelights. The second difference was pretty obvious: their personalities. Cyber Sona was cruel and cold, someone who only really cared about himself. Someone who drank away his problems and solved conflicts with violence. And Error… well, he didn’t know how to describe himself, but he knew he wasn’t as bad as his dad.  
… At least, that’s what he hoped.  
As the seventeen year old walked up the steps, his father pushed open the door. “Get your ass in here now.” His voice was deep, like a rumble in the Earth. It sent a shiver down Error’s spine as he entered his home, skull hanging low.  
Cyber slammed the door after both of them were in the house. Error’s mother was busying herself with cooking supper in the kitchen, completely ignoring what her husband was about to say to their son.  
Error often wondered if his mom even cared or if she was in the same mindset as his father.  
Either way, Error moved to stand on the other side of the kitchen table, closer to his mom. Considering she’s never hit him, maybe it was just natural for him to feel at least a tiny bit safer near her.  
Cyber tossed the two pins, the rainbow and pan ones, onto the table. They skidded to a stop near the center; Error winced and looked down.  
“What the fuck are these?”  
Cyber’s voice sounded menacing, and Error shrank into his sweater, staring at his feet like a child who was caught stealing cookies from the cookie jar.  
Cyber slammed his fist onto the table top, causing Error to flinch backwards. Mumbling, he answered, “They’re just pins…”  
“‘Just pins’...” His father jabbed a finger at them. “They’re part of that goddamn queer group.” He crossed the table to stand in front of Error; they were nearly the same height, but Error was still a bit shorter than him. He wanted to scream at his father, tell him he wasn’t, and never will be ‘his’ son, that it doesn’t matter if he was gay or not. But he kept his mouth shut, the fear inside him extinguishing any confidence he had. “Do you really think you’re gay.”  
His voice had suddenly changed, taking on a soft tone. Error hesitantly looked up to meet his father's eyes.  
“I-“

  
~Trigger Warning~  
He was suddenly grabbed by the front of his hoodie, his father pulling their faces close, expression becoming dark. “Are you really going to do that to your mother and I?!”  
He let go of the fabric, pushing Error to the ground; he went without a fight, grunting as his body hit the hard floor.  
Cyber knelt in front of him. “You’re already such a fucking disappointment and burden to us... and now you’re going to say you’re a f*ggot as well?!”  
He grabbed Error’s wrist roughly. This time, the boy tried to pull away, yelping.  
That yearned him a hard smack to his head. “What do you have to say for yourself, you piece of shit?!”  
Rage filled Error as he looked up as his father. He didn’t do anything wrong. It didn’t make him any less of a person just because he could love another dude! He wanted to spit on him; tell him to go fuck himself. Cyber must have seen that spark of fight in Error’s eye sockets as he painfully yanked his son’s arm forward, causing him to call out in pain. The force of the pull caused Error’s sweater sleeve to get pushed up on his arm, his cuts coming into full view.  
Panic surged through the monster as he tried desperately to get his arm away from his father.  
Cyber only laughed.  
“You’re a fucking pussy too? Can’t handle all of life’s problems can ya?” He leaned in close, a sick grin plastered on his face. Error wanted to cry, but refused to do so in front of this son of a bitch- “Grow up. Life isn’t going to change just because you feel a little bummed out kiddo.”  
Error was trembling, Cyber finally let go of his arm and the younger monster pulled it close to him. His father burst into more laughter, making Error bristle. “Why don’t you just go kill yourself then, huh? It’d make life so much easier for all of us… besides, no one’s gonna love someone like you.”  
A sob escaped Error, his father snorting. “Go to your fucking room.” He said, standing back up. When Error didn’t get up, his father repeated himself; this time yelling.  
The ebony monster shakily got up and scurried off to his room like a wounded animal.  
He broke out into sobs once the door was safely shut behind him, sinking to the floor just inside his room.  
He hated, absolutely despised his father.  
He sobbed harder. Why the hell did the words he said have to affect him so much?! He knew his father was an asshole who was full of horse shit.  
But it still hurt. It still hurt so badly to know he wasn’t enough, that he’d never be ‘good enough’.  
He fumbled to his desk drawer, yanking it open and pulling out a small razor blade.  
He knew he could just conjure up a knife with his magic, it would probably be easier than keeping these blades around. But, in a way, Error likes the feel of the cold metal. It was sick and he knew it.  
He slid the blade along his wrist, another sob leaving him as a bead of blood slowly flowed out.  
Usually when things got this bad it only took him three or five cuts to fully push the sadness away, to bring him into a state of cold numbness.  
Five cuts came and passed.  
As he got to ten, he was shaking roughly, letting the small razor slip from his fingers. A new wave of tears came crashing down on him, his hands coming up and gripping the side of his skull.  
He was disgusting. All of this made him revolting.  
Unlovable.  
A disappointment.  
If Ink knew… god, if he knew, he’d see Error as he really was: a grotesque shell of a monster, undeserving of any of the care he’d been given.  
A light came on across from him. His head whipped upwards, soul dropping to his feet. His door, which he still sat in front of, was directly in front of his window; a perfect viewing point for anyone to see him if they looked from the house next door.  
Exactly as Ink was now.  
There was a look of shock on his face, then horror as Error jumped to his feet, stumbling to the blinds and shutting them hastily.  
He’d seen the blood, Error knew he had.  
Fuck fuck fuck fuck-  
His phone began buzzing in his pocket; he pulled it out (if he hadn’t been so distressed, he probably would have taken time to be surprised the screen wasn’t cracked after his father’s little ‘display’). Ink was calling, of course it was him, who else would it be? But that confirmed that he’d seen what Error had done.  
The skeleton pressed the red button, putting an end to the buzzing.  
Ink knew.  
Error flopped onto his bed. He’d tried so hard to keep this from Ink, and he still failed.  
Ink probably hated him now. He had no reason to care anymore, he’s seen what Error was really like.  
“Why don’t you just go kill yourself, huh?”  
Error knew how to sneak out of his window, he’d done it before. But to do that, he’d have to see Ink.  
His phone buzzed again.  
Fuck it.  
He pulled open the gray blinds. Ink’s room was dark.  
Error wondered briefly where he went as he opened the window and hopped onto the small ledge below it. Next, he carefully edged to the side, dropping down onto the ground.  
He still had the car keys and he had a good place in mind where he wouldn’t be found.  
Well, hopefully he wouldn’t be found.

~End of Trigger Warning~  
***** Ink was scared. He’d never seen Error act so skittish.  
He’d never seen his eyes so full of tears.  
… and the blood…  
His soul ached painfully in his chest as he tried, again, to call his friend.  
Voicemail...again.  
He was pacing in the living room, anxiously biting the tips of his fingers. He knew that Error had been hiding something from him. The way he suddenly started wearing only long sleeves; how he never wanted Ink to come inside his home; and, then today, when he said he was going to stop playing basketball.  
But Ink never pressed him to share what was bothering him.  
He never did.  
His mind was brought back to Error’s arms. There was so much blood… what had caused him to do it? Why hadn’t he come to Ink for help?  
If he was cutting… how long had he been doing it? How long has it been a secret?  
Was he suicidal? The thought of losing his best friend brought a heart wrenching pain to his soul.  
“Ink, sweetie, are you alright?” It was his mom, standing at the entrance to the kitchen. Should Ink tell her why he was so worried? She was a nurse, so maybe she’d know what to do; but at the same time, Error obviously didn’t want anyone to know…  
“I’m just worried about Error, he’s not answering any of my calls-“  
The sound of a car starting and driving away came from outside caught Ink’s attention.  
… Error had their car keys.  
Rushing to the front window of his house, he peeked out. Sure enough, the car he shared with his friend was gone.  
Shit.  
“Ink, what’s going on?”  
“I need to borrow your car.”  
“Excuse me?” Her hands were on her hips, and the short monster sweated nervously. Seeing her son’s anxious expression, she continued: “Honey, you’re not going anywhere until you tell me what’s going on.”  
Ink took a deep breath. He loved his mother to death and knew she meant well, but now was not the time! Who knew what Error would do out there all alone?!  
“Mom-“  
“This isn’t negotiable.”  
He clenched his fist. He wasn’t an angry monster, if anything, he was typically very calm. But right now…  
“What’s going on is my best friend might kill himself!!” His voice cracked and it came to his attention that he was very close to tears.  
Winter stared at Ink in shock, her mouth agape. “S-so I need to borrow the car so..” He took a shaky breath, his eyes welling with tears.  
“Where do you think he’s gone? I’ll drive you there.”  
“Mom, no, I’ll gone alone.”  
Winter was already at the door, pulling on some shoes. “You’re head isn’t clear. Neither you or Error should be driving when you’re so upset.”  
“H-he’ll freak out if you’re there too, he’s already so upset I-”  
“I’ll just drop you off and then leave. You will call me if you need a ride back.” She opened the door. “Now come on, we need to hurry.”

*****  
Error took a deep breath and leaned against the oak tree on the hill, his breath forming a small cloud in front of his face. He’d come out here because he figured it would be a good place to do… what had to be done. But once he had arrived and seen the tree, and the stars, it had made him think of Ink almost immediately.  
He was probably mad at Error.  
He was probably worried out of his mind.  
“I really, really care about you Error…”  
The skeleton grumbled, wrapping his aching arms around himself. He knew he couldn’t do it. Even if he really wanted to, even if he knew not many people would care.  
Ink would care.  
Another sob escaped him. He was tired of crying at this point. He craved that numb feeling he hated so much. He was scared and tired.  
He didn’t want to be alone anymore, but where else could he go? Neither of his parents would comfort him. If anything, his father would just tell him to go off himself again. He supposed he could finally return Ink’s calls… did he really want to answer his friend’s questions though?  
… No, he didn’t want to. Shame lay heavily on his shoulders. How would he explain how he felt to Ink? How could he?  
“Error?!” The ebony skeleton shot upwards, stumbling as he stood and instinctively hiding his arms behind his back. He’d taken off his sweater earlier, and hadn’t thought to grab it before leaving. Ink stood near the bottom of the hill. When’d he get here?! Error hadn’t heard a car pull up-  
Error’s eyes caught on Ink’s mother’s car driving away. Well, that explained how he got here at least. But how had he known this was the place Error would run off to?  
He supposed it was pretty obvious; this was their spot, after all.  
“What the hell is wrong with you?!” Ink’s voice was loud and his clenched fists were trembling. His large eyes were full of tears, causing a pang of guilt to course through Error’s soul.  
“I-Ink, I’m-”  
“You’re a fucking idiot is what you are!” Ink was walking quickly to were his friend stood and, despite his height, Error couldn’t help but feel intimidated. In all the time he’d known him, he’d never seen Ink so upset. He couldn’t even think of a time where he’d ever heard Ink swear before beyond a small ‘shit’ here and there.  
Ink stopped when he stood in front of Error. He was still shaking and tears flowed out of his eyes. The taller monster wanted to stop the tears; he wanted to stop his friend from hurting.  
Most of all, he wanted to stop those god awful tears.  
“I knew there was something wrong! You suddenly became more.., quiet, and-and you started wearing long sleeves and- ”  
“You only wear things that cover your arms too…” Error’s voice sounded scratchy from all his crying; so he kept it low, looking to the ground. Besides, if he looked into his friend’s eyes, he knew he’d just break down again.  
“Yeah, I do. Because I'm hiding something, error!” Ink sniffed, wiping at his tears. “Why.. why wouldn’t you tell me about this?”  
The softness in his voice convinced Error to look up; Ink’s eye lights were so full - full of worry, of anger… of sadness. The ebony skeleton felt himself tear up as well.  
“I… I didn’t want to hurt you… I promised I’d protect you and i-if you knew you’d be sad and I-” He whimpered, his arms moving from behind him to wrap around his cold and tired body. The tears he’d be holding fell from his eye sockets once again.  
“Error… “ Ink reached out for his friend, but flinched when he got a good look at his arms, at the scars. “Oh Error… how long… how long have you hidden this?” The monster didn’t answer, sobbing harder. He stumbled forward, pulling Inks into a hug. Ink didn’t fight it, instead he wrapped his smaller arms around Error, rubbing his lower back as he bawled.  
Ink was warm in Error’s arms, like he belonged there. And Error would be lying to himself if he said it didn’t feel good to be comforted.  
“Y-years.” He finally mumbled, holding his smaller friend tightly as he trembled. “My dad.. I… “  
Ink pulled away slightly, looking up at him. “Let’s sit down, Ok? You’re going to tell me everything.”  
Error was too exhausted to fight Ink on this right now, so he just nodded, pulling away and sitting down in front of the tree. The smaller monster didn’t follow him, instead he hesitated. “There’s a first aid kit in the car, i’m going to grab it, ok.”  
“Why?”  
Ink pointed a finger at him. “We can’t just leave those like that. They should be cleaned and bandaged.”  
It didn’t take Ink long to grab the first aid supplies and soon he was sitting next to Error, asking him gently to show his arms.  
“Can.. Can you tell me why you did this?”  
Error hesitated before he let it all pour out of him; it was like a damn breaking.  
He told him about how his father had treated him poorly since he was a kid. How his father would sometimes take a swat at him. About how his image of himself had been going down for years.  
He also talked about the numbness.  
Ink was quiet as Error vented, listening intently and tending to his cuts.  
When he finally finished, Ink finally spoke up. “Your father… is abusive.”  
“I guess you could call him that.”  
“There’s no ‘guess’ about it… shouldn’t we call the police? They can help or-”  
“No”  
“Error, come on, this is serious.”  
“We’re not calling the police. I’ll be moving out in a year anyways…”  
“You almost killed yourself because of him!” Error flinched and Ink signed. “I’m sorry, I’m just… I want you to be safe.”  
The ebony skeleton didn’t answer, just looked away. He was feeling better after telling Ink everything. As if a giant weight had been lifted off his shoulders.  
Though he wanted to hold Ink again.  
“I… I don’t want to deal with the cops.”  
“... You need to get professional help, at the very least.”  
“Isn’t therapy like, really expensive?”  
Ink shrugged. “I was thinking more along the lines of talking to the counselor at school.” Error grimaced at the thought. He could barely tell Ink all this, and now he wanted him to spill his guts to a random stranger at school? “Oh, she’s not that bad. She’s actually really nice.. I’ve talked to her a few times. She’d be able to help you deal with all this.”  
“I told you, isn’t that enough?”  
“No. I’m just… another person, Error. I don’t know how to handle depression, or how to learn healthy coping mechanisms. That’s why there are professionals.” Seeing his friend’s uncomfortable expression, he added, “I can come with you, too. So you’re not alone.”  
Error sighed … The thought of getting better, of feeling better than this, was very appealing.  
He wanted to get better.  
For Ink.  
… for himself.  
He wanted to be better.  
“Ok. We can go see her on Monday.”  
Ink smiled gently, patting Error’s knee.  
“Hey… I have an idea.” He pulled the locket he always wore around his neck over his head. It was round, light pink at the bottom, fading onto a light purple at the top. The skeleton took the larger monsters hand with his own, opening it. He placed the small necklace into Error’s hand. “You can have this.”  
“W-what? No, you always wear this thing, you love it!”  
“Exactly. This way, whenever you’re feeling like you're alone, you can just look at this and it’ll remind you that you’re not alone! That I’ll always be here for you.”  
Error looked down at Ink’s locket. He honestly had no idea what picture was in it. He popped it open, inside was a picture of the two boys from last winter. They were standing by the large christmas tree that was set up in the city’s center every year. Ink had a scarf wrapped around his neck and chin, a warm cup of tea from the nearby coffee shop in his gloved hands. Error was beside him, drinking from his own mug - his had been full of coffee; something the smaller of the two found too bitter to drink.  
Error could still remember that day clearly. Winter had suggested driving the two boys to the center of Blightview since the ice rink had just opened for the next few months and, after Ink’s persistent begging, Error had agreed. He had absolutely no idea how to skate though and the evening was spent with him trying his best to stay upright, and his friend fighting back giggles as he tried to help. Once Error had gotten annoyed with constantly falling on his ass, Ink suggested they go get something to drink. They walked around the tree and other displays for a while and, when they weren't paying attention, Ink’s mother had taken multiple pictures of them: like the one that now sat in the locket.  
Error smiled at the memory, closing the locket and putting in on. “... thanks, Ink. For.. all of this.”  
Ink hummed. “You said you didn’t tell me because you promised to ‘protect me’?”  
The ebony skeleton nodded.  
“Protecting me, and keeping me in the dark are two different things Error… I get you’re protective, but that should just apply to bullies and shit. This… you can’t help how you feel, and what you’re going through… no one should have to do that alone, you know? And I’m your friend - your best friend. You should be able to come to me for help… knowing this kinda thing isn’t going to scare me away, or hurt me.”  
Error sighed, shivering. He really should have brought his hoodie. “I’m sorry. I was scared of how you’d react. Before all this happened, dad said some crap about it and… yeah.”  
“Just… talk to me next time, deal?”  
“Deal.”  
“Now!” Ink stood suddenly. “Let’s head home. You can stay with mom and me tonight, because there’s no way you’re going ‘home’ after all this!”  
Error chuckled, standing up as well, albeit a bit slower. “Thanks… is Winter going to ask about...uh.”  
“She’s going to want to know you’re ok, but mom won’t push you to share what you told me. Don’t worry. Oh! And give me the keys.” He outstretched his hand. “I’m driving.”  
Error snorted, pulling said keys out of his pocket and tossing them to his friend. As they walked back down the hill, the tall monster suddenly reached out and took Ink’s small hand into his larger one. Ink nearly tripped from surprise, his face becoming hot.  
“Thanks again Ink… it… you mean a lot to me.”  
Ink smiled, squeezing his friend’s hand gently. “Anytime, Glitchy.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Error finally works up the nerve to tell Ink something very important <3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For more about DystopianTale and my art projects, you can find me on [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/p/B5l28mWAbPj/?igshid=8pwo38p4b4fh) or [Tumblr](https://fandomartist1273.tumblr.com/post/189150992336/nisha-i-really-wanted-to-make-a-fanchild-soooo)

Ink: Age 17

Error: Age 18

“Three more months!!”

Error looked up from his novel and at his friend. They were in Ink’s bedroom, Ink on the bed and Error on the floor with his legs crossed. After the… ‘incident’ about a year ago, Error practically lived with Ink and his mother, both of whom seemed fine with the arrangement. And Error definitely preferred this to being at his own home, Ink had certainly helped him get the right help as well. He hadn’t cut himself in over a year, and, for once, was feeling happy and safe. 

“What are you talking about?”

“We only have three more months until we’re out of high school for good!” Error snorted, rolling his eyes at his friend. “Proms coming up soon too.”

“I don’t know if I’d say two months is soon.”

Ink shrugged, rolling into his stomach. “A lot of people are already finding their outfits and stuff. Do you think you’ll go with anybody?”

Now, the thing is, Error did want to take someone with him, but that someone just happened to be Ink. 

A few days after the incident at the hill, Error had realized something that… terrified him. 

He had a crush on his best friend. 

It wasn’t even just a small crush; it was big, huge.

Some would even say Error _loved_ Ink. 

And that scared Error. The way he cared about Ink, the things he wanted to do with him… they were so new, and foreign to the teenage monster. He’d known Ink for years, he was the person he was closest to, the person he trusted the most; so he supposed it made sense that he’d be the one Error fell for. 

But Ink on the other hand…

He was… incredible. He was the kindest and most caring monster Error knew, and _god_ , was he adorable. With the way his smile lit up his entire face, the subtle way his left eye would change depending on his mood. The way the simplest things made his face light up with that rainbow blush Error had come to adore.

Someone like that… there was no way he’d like Error the same way, and the ebony skeleton wasn’t sure he was ready to risk their entire friendship by telling him how he really felt..

“No, I was thinking of just not going to it in general.”

“Aw, what? You have to come!”

Error hummed, setting his book to the side. “I don’t know Ink. There’s gonna be a lot of people there.” 

Even though Error was doing better with his own problems, large crowds were still quite the problem for him. He found out that any touch from a stranger - or anyone he didn’t trust, he guessed - whether it be a simple shoulder bump or a pat on the back, made him recoil away from the person violently, his mind flooding with thoughts of his father, and the things he’d done to him during his childhood.

So, Error opted to avoid crowds as much as possible. 

Ink, on the other hand, wanted Error to go out, be more adventurous. He figured it’d get easier for him to deal with the more he did it. 

“If you don’t go, then I won’t either.” Guilt welled up in Error’s soul, Ink had been looking forward to their senior prom since they were in grade _nine_. He can’t just back out on going now just because his friend didn’t want to go!

“Ink, you’ve been looking forward to this dance for years, you have to go!”

Ink shook his head, crossing his arms and pouting, and Error resisted urge to point how absolutely adorable he looked.

“I only want to go if it’s with you!” Both boys froze, thinking over what the small skeleton had just said. Both of their faces erupted into a blush, Error quickly looked down, cursing himself for being so easily flustered. “N-not like, as a date or anything… we’re just friends..”

That caused an ache in Error’s chest. Of course he enjoyed being friends with the small monster, but he wanted to be so much _more_ than friends.

He sighed, scratching his cheek, his face still bright blue. “Fine, you win. I’ll go, but don’t expect me to be outgoing or any shit like that.”

Ink clapped happily, giggling. The ebony monster felt his cheeks heat up more, if that were possible. There was a knock on the bedroom door, and Winter peaked in, smiling softly. “Hey boys, it’s getting pretty late, I think it’s about time you two hit the hay.” 

“Ok mom!” Ink practically sang, still beaming brightly, his left eye taking the shape of a star.

Winter left, keeping the door ajar, and Ink helped Error pull out the blankets and pillows he used to sleep. Winter had offered to set up the guest room for him; so he could have a bit more privacy, but he had politely declined with the explaination that he preferred to sleep in the same room as Ink, and didn’t really like to be alone in the dark. After they finished laying out the insane amount of blankets Ink had lent the other boy, the small monster clicked off the light and hopped into his own bed. “You good down there, Glitchy?” 

Error could just barely make out Ink’s silhouette in the dark, dim moonlight filtering in through the half closed blinds. The small skeleton on the bed was wrapped up tight in his mass of sheets that were pulled up to his nose. “Yeah… I’m good. ‘Night Inky.”

Ink giggled, making the monster on the floor’s soul to do a flip. “Good night Glitchy.”

*****

Ink whimpered softly to himself, burrowing more into his blankets. He’d never been good at dealing with nightmares - it took very little to scare the skeleton, and his mind always found sick and twisted ways to torment him while he was asleep. He had only been twelve when he started to regularly get the night terrors, usually once or twice a week, and his mother had ended up mentioning it to his doctors during one of his regular check ups. They had been told that the dreams may be a side effect of the medicine Ink used, and that there was not much they could do about it.

Ink eventually got used to the horrid dreams, but this particular nightmare had been worse than usual, and had left him shaken and close to tears. 

He eyed his sleeping friend on the ground. Error always looked so peaceful when he slept, with the way his whole body relaxed, his mouth open slightly as he breathed long and even breaths. Sometimes, his ‘nose’ would seem to twitch, as he turned in his sleep, sometimes to curl up on his side like a big baby.

Anxiously, Ink slid out of his bed, and onto his knees in front of the sleeping monster. He reached out, poking his cheek with a finger. Error pushed it away, eye’s fluttering open. He stared at Ink as his eyes adjusted to the darkness, visibly confused. “Hi.”

“Ink? What the fuck, it’s the middle of the night.” His voice was gruffer than usual because of left over sleep, and the way it seemed to roll through Ink made his soul flutter.

“I… I had a nightmare.”

Error sat up, yawning. “What..?”

The white skeleton rubbed his bare arm, blushing from embarrassment. “I, um, I had a nightmare. And I was… kinda hoping you could sleep with me tonight? On my bed, n-not the floor.”

Error’s cheeks turned blue as he looked between Ink and the bed, before finally nodding his head. “Um, Yeah, yeah Ok. You had a nightmare.”

He still seemed a bit confused, or even possibly flustered, and they crawled under Ink’s sheets together, keeping a modest distance between them. 

… This won’t do. He wanted to feel Error’s warmth, to be curled up next to him. “Error? Can I… um.”

The ebony skeleton opened one eye, his cheeks still glowing blue in the dark. “Hm?”

Slowly, the small monster inched closer to his friend, wiggling his way under his arms and resting his head on his ribcage. Error went stiff, then relaxed slightly, letting his arm rest over top of Ink’s waist. “Is this ok?”

The ebony monster didn’t answer at first, shifting the way he was laying, almost as if he was scared to touch Ink. “Yeah.. this is good.” Ink shivered, nuzzling in closer to his larger friend. He’d wanted to do this for years and yet… it was a bit disappointing that they were just friends, that this cuddling meant nothing romantic, at least to Error. 

Unknown to Ink, however, was that Error felt like he was practically soaring. The way the monster’s small frame was pressed against him, his face burrowed under his chin, the way his warm breaths felt against his collarbone. Ink’s small hands were holding onto Error’s nightshirt, and his breathing became slow and steady as he fell back asleep. The taller of the two boys rested his hand on top of Ink’s hip bone, and the other arm rested under Ink’s skull, like a pillow. He seemed small and frail, and Error had an almost instinctual urge to protect him, to wrap his larger arms around him and block out the crazy world, for it to be just them...

Together.

… How would Ink react if he knew how his friend really felt? Error doubted the opportunity to be so close to the small skeleton would ever happen again, but who’s to say Ink wouldn’t still want to be friends after highschool? 

Like his friend said, their high school days were numbered. Error had been saving up the money he’d made while working and he planned to get himself a small apartment once they graduated. Surely, he and Ink wouldn’t be seeing each other as much once they both moved on from highschool- that thought made his pounding soul ache. Maybe…telling Ink about his feelings wouldn’t be such a bad idea? It’d be nice to be able to leave school with no secrets, everything out in the open so he’d never have sleepless nights wondering what would have happened if he’d confessed. 

Error took a deep breath, nuzzling the top of his friends skull as his eyelids slowly shut.

He’d tell Ink, he decided. Tomorrow, at sunset.

_Might as well make it romantic._

*****

Ink yawned, curling himself up to the warm, and large, figure next to him.

_Wait…_

The monster opened his eyes, gasping softly when he saw who he was pressed up against. His soul beat hard in his ribcage as his face heated up. His view was filled with Error’s chest and he could feel Error’s arms around him, holding him close. If he looked up, he could just barely make out the ebony monster’s relaxed face. 

Like this… it was almost like they were a couple.

A gidding smile formed on his lips, and he suppressed giggles, burying his face in the crook of Error’s neck. He told himself it was dumb to think like this: he was Error’s friend, not his boyfriend. His friend didn’t really see him like that, the only reason he was cuddling with Ink was because he had a nightmare; and the tall monster was kind, and cared about him.

But he couldn’t help but fantasize about it. 

Error shifted onto his back, pulling Ink’s upper half on top of him. Ink squeaked, his face becoming even hotter. The tall monster mumbled something, his eyes opening. He stared as Ink for a minute, the gears in his head slowly turning to comprehend their situation. Ink pushed away, his friend’s skull becoming bright blue. He couldn’t help but start giggling, the taller monster’s expression changed from confusion to something that looked almost like… adoration. “Hey.”

“‘Morning.”

Ink rubbed his bare arms, his soul singing in his chest. He wanted to kiss Error. He wanted Error to lean over and kiss him, and pull him back done to his chest. “I, um.. Sorry about last night. I just.. didn’t want to be alone, ya know?” 

Error waved his apology away, sitting up and stretching. “Don’t worry about it.” He paused, then smirked and winked at Ink. “It’s not like I didn’t like it.” 

The small monster’s soul pounded. _What did_ that _mean?!_ “I-I…” He swallowed hard, looking down, unable to meet Error’s gaze after that. “Anyways, I… appreciate it.” 

Error swung his feet off the side of the bed, standing up to his full height. Ink watched his back, biting the tip of his thumb. “Like I said, don’t worry about it. What do you work today?”

“Oh, um, 2 to 5:30. What about you?”

“2 to 6.” 

Error was pulling off his shirt, his back still towards Ink, as he reached into the drawer that he kept his clothes in. It wasn’t the first time they’ve changed in the same room - usually if one of them was changing anything other than a shirt, the other boy would either leave or look away - and they’d been doing it since they were kids. That being said, seeing Error’s bare spine and the back of his ribcage sent a burst of heat out through Ink’s soul to the rest of his body, and he quickly looked away, covering his face with a sheet. “We haven’t gone out to the hill in a while.”

… Why was he bringing that up now? A part of Ink had assumed Error didn’t really like going out there anymore, since they usually just stayed in his room now. He wouldn’t blame the ebony monster if he didn’t want to go out there anymore, considering what had happened there last year. 

The tall skeleton sat back down, a new shirt on, though he still had a pair of gray sweatpants on. “I mean like, do you wanna drive out there tonight? Watch the sunset, then just sit out and look at the stars?” He scratched at his cheek, then added: “We could even go out for dinner, there’s that sushi place downtown that you like, right?”

Ink stared at Error, eyebrow raised. They’d gone out for lunch or supper together before (only as friends, of course) but this time… it felt different. Almost as if they were going to be on a date. 

“Uh… yeah, yeah that sounds nice. We haven’t done that in a while.” Error gave him a small smile, his cheeks blue. He looked so adorable…

“Wanna go get some breakfast? Mom’s probably at work already, but we could make some pancakes.”

Error chuckled, most likely remembering the last time they tried cooking together (which ended in a huge mess) “Yeah, let’s do it.”

*****

Ink looked up from his phone, scanning the parking lot again. He and Error had decided they’d just meet at their car after work and then drive over to the sushi restaurant. Ink had finished half an hour before Error and had been waiting at the car ever since. He sunk down into the passenger seat and glanced at the time. _6:03._ He should be here soon, right? The small skeleton turned back to his phone, scrolling through social media to distract himself from his growing worries and pounding soul. He couldn’t help but feel like this was a date. Getting supper at a fancy restaurant, watching the sunset together and then stargazing? That sounded much more like something a couple with do, not two friends. But what does that mean? Was Error doing this on purpose because he _wants_ it to be a date? Or was he just oblivious to the romantic undertones? 

Someone wrapped their knuckles against the car window, and Ink jolted, turning his head to see who it was. Error stood outside, giving him a small wave; the white skeleton unlocked the doors, sitting up in his seat as Error slipped into the car. “Hey, sorry ‘bout the wait.”

“No worries. I don’t mind.” 

“Well, you good to go?” He put the car into reverse once Ink had nodded, backing out of the parking spot. 

“I was wondering… what made you want to go out tonight anyways? It was really out of the blue.”

The ebony skeleton shrugged. “Guess you could say I was feeling impulsive. I also just kinda wanted to do something nice for you.”

Ink pursed his lips, looking out the window, at the moving scenery. “You don’t have to do anything special for me ya know…” Error shrugged again, but didn’t answer. There was a blush blooming on his cheeks. 

The small monster huffed in confusion. What was this about? He’s never done something like this before. Sure, there’s been certain comments that made Ink flustered and question if the other skeleton felt the same way, but those had all been small, and brief. Easy to dismiss as just friendly compliments. But this… it was different. There almost seemed to be a type of electricity in the air, sparking something inside of Ink. 

The drive to the restaurant took about twenty minutes, but the two boys found it easy to make conversation by talking about how their days went, and funny work stories. They were joking and laughing with each other as Error parked the car, and that attitude easily lasted throughout their dinner. Ink’s worries had practically vanished as he and his friend ate their sushi, poking fun at each other and snorting at their dumb jokes. Once they’d finished eating, their waiter brought them the bill. Ink, of course, reached out to grab it, but Error was quick to snatch it before him.

“WHat are you doing?”

He looked over the receipt, humming. “I’ll pay.”

Ink pouted, crossing his arms. “No way. We always split the bill” 

“Not this time shorty” Error gave him a wink, and Ink’s stomach did a somersault, his questions from earlier crashing over him again. Seeing Ink’s very confused expression, the other monster’s smile softened, and he reached out and squeezed his hand. “If it really bothers you, you can just buy me lunch sometime or something. Just let me pay this time, ok?”

Ink huffed, his face blooming bright with his multi-coloured blush. “Fiiine. But this means I’m buying next time.” 

His friend’s answering chuckle was low and deep. “Sure, sure. Wanna go wait in the car?” 

“Eh, sure. Better than standing awkwardly behind you. you always make me look like a little kid!” The ebony skeleton laughed. Standing up, they walked to the front together. The smaller of the two felt the urge to reach out for his friend’s hand -or to grab onto his arm- but restrained himself in hopes of keeping things not awkward. 

Everyone here probably already thought they were dating. 

Once at the front desk, Ink left to go outside, Error watching him as he shivered in the evening air. It still wasn’t quite summer yet and the nights were still pretty chilly; and, if Error was remembering correctly, Ink didn’t bring a sweater or a jacket with him. The tall monster shook his head and grinned to himself, stepping up to the front counter, to place the receipt onto the counter top. The waiter grinned up at him, their eyes twinkling. “Is it your guys’ anniversary?”

The question caught Error off guard, his eyebrows jumping upwards. “What? Oh gods no, we’re not- “

The monster gave him a confused look. “Oh, you’re not? That’s a shame, you’d make a cute couple.” They told him the total, handing over the machine for his debit card. 

“That’s why I brought him here, actually. We’re gonna drive out of town to watch the sunset after this. I… just wanna tell him how I feel, ya know?” 

The waiter nodded, taking back the machine as Error finished paying. “That's sweet, dude. Good luck!” The ebony skeleton thanked the monster, left the building and slipped into the driver’s seat. 

“You know, I’m really looking forward to this. It’s been a while since we hung out like this.”

Error snorted, pulling out of the parking lot, starting on the route to the hill outside of Blightview. “What do you mean? We’re basically with each other 24/7 nowadays.“ 

Ink shook his skull, looking out the window at all the monsters going about their day. Blightview had a predominant monster population, and it was rather rare that you came across any humans, and Ink had only seen a few throughout his seventeen years of being in the city. “I meant more like… hung out outside of town. At the hill and such. We always seem to just stick to my room now. Not that that bothers me! I enjoy being with you, no matter where!” He bit his lip, stopping himself from continuing his ramble; he hadn’t meant to go on like that! God, he probably sounded like a love sick fool…

Error chuckled, glancing over quickly at his blushing friend. “Yeah, it has been a while, hasn’t it?” He grew silent for a minute, watching the road, then continued. “I don’t know. I’m still working through all my shit and… it’s just easier for me to just stay inside most of the time, you know?” Ink did know. Error was much more open with his feelings now, and he’d talked about his borderline fear of strangers and large crowds because of his father. “But I’m getting better. So… don’t worry about it, ok?” The smaller monster was taken a bit off guard by his friend’s soft and reassuring tone. Ink turned to him, but the ebony monster wasn’t looking, instead he was watching the road - which, in retrospect, is what Ink should have expected considering he was driving. Ink smiled to himself, still blushing.

He really did love Error.

“I know you are.” After some thought, he decided to add: “And I’m proud of you for it. I know… I know it wasn’t easy.” Error didn’t answer, only nodded a bit. The rest of the drive was filled with songs and chatter from the radio, and the two boys taking secret glances at each other. 

Error pulled the car into park, then turned off the engine. Ink was the first to take off his seatbelt, while Error stayed still in his seat, taking deep breaths, still gripping the steering wheel. “Hey…” he placed a hand on the other boy’s knee, causing him to jump. “You ok?” 

The fact that his dear friend could be uncomfortable out here was loud in Ink’s mind; would being out here cause him to relapse? Could being in the spot where you almost ended your life cause someone to relapse? Error was smiling at him now, though his cheeks were flushed. “I’m fine Ink. I’m just… thinking.”

“About what?”

He hesitated, then took Ink’s hand off his knee, and held it between his own, larger hands. “Well… I first thought of talking to here tonight because…” He paused, taking another breath to steady himself, his hands shaking ever so slightly. “I need to tell you something.”

Ink’s soul was beating hard in his chest, his face bright with his rainbow blush. What… was he trying to say here..?

“I, um…” A nervous chuckle, his eyes dropping away from his friend’s. “Guess it would easier if I just… said it as it is, right? Just, spit it out…”

“Error, what are you…?”

“I… I love you.” 

Ink’s eyes widened, his soul feeling like it was about to burst. Did he hear that right? Error… felt the same? He was smiling awkwardly at him now, and the white skeleton attempted to form a sentence, only to fail. His smile was falling- _no no no wait! I like you too! Say something dummy!_ He let go of the other monsters hand. “I get that you don’t feel the same I just… needed to get it off my chest.”

“I love you too!” Ink blurted out, his voice cracking as happy tears welled up in his eyes. He reached for his friend’s hand again, this time holding Error’s hand in between his own. 

The ebony skeleton was staring at him, eyes wide, a large smile slowly spreading over his face. “Really?” He sounded like a small child, so hopefully and happy. 

Ink loved it.

He giggled, squeezing the other monster’s hand. “Of course really! Gosh, I’ve had a crush on you since, like, grade nine! I figured it was ridiculously obvious.”

Error was staring at him like he was the only thing in the world, like he was the only thing that _mattered_ in the world. “I… had no idea.”

“Well, obviously. ...I didn’t think you’d like me back either.”

The ebony monster chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. “How could I not?” His eyes dropped down briefly to Ink’s lips, making the small skeleton to squirm a bit. “Can… Is it ok if I kiss you?”

“Please do.” He didn’t think before speaking, and his sudden confidence took him off guard. But Error was grinning widely at him, easing his worries away. They both leaned forward, meeting each other in the middle. Despite the fact that both monsters were skeleton’s, and technically didn’t have lips, it felt as if they did, and Error’s were soft, and warm:. Ink wrapped his arms around his neck, trying to pull the larger boy closer to him, to press their bodies together, but that proved to be difficult since they were still seated in the car. 

Error pulled away first, one hand on the base of Ink’s spine, and the other was gently cupping his cheek; he was smiling gently at him, pressing their foreheads. “We should probably head out there so we don’t miss… “ He trailed off, his eyes widening a bit and a chuckle leaving his lips. 

“What’s so funny?”

“Not funny just…. Your eye!” Ink’s brow furrowed. “It’s a heart!”

Ink pushed away, covering his face - which was completely covered in a blush at this point - while the other monster burst out laughing. The small skeleton let out a muffled scream, and Error reached over, pulling his hands away from his face, fighting back the rest of his laughter. “Aw, come on, it was cute!” 

He stuck his tongue out, doing his best to pretend to be mad, but quickly dropped the charade when Error started peppering his face with kisses. “Ok, ok, stooop!” He was a giggling mess, his hands holding on tightly to Error’s sweater, and the other monster had practically crawled over the centerpiece of the car. “I wanna see the sunset!” 

Both boys were giggling now, with wide smiles. “Fine, fine, I’ll stop… for now~” 

“Oh my god, Error!!” 

He leaned back, laughing and Ink shook his head, and they both finally left the car. Ink shivered as a breeze blew by him; Error was at his side again, sliding an arm around his shoulders. “You cold?”

Ink shrugged, the two of them began to walk up the small hill. The tall skeleton hummed, pulling his arm away to take off his hoodie, wrapping it around the smaller boy’s shoulders. It was way too big for him, obviously, and once he slipped his arms into it, his hands were completely hidden in the fabric, and it went down to the middle of his thighs. “Won’t you get cold now?”

The reached the top, and Error pulled Ink down to the grass with him. “Nah. I’ll be fine.” Ink curled up between Error’s legs, and the larger boy wrapped his arms around him before resting his chin on top of Ink’s skull. 

They sat there in silence, enjoying each others warmth and watching as the sun sank lower and lower under the horizon, painting the sky in reds, pinks and yellows. Eventually, Ink took one of Error’s hands in his own. “Hey Error?” He hummed in acknowledgement. “Does this mean we’re dating…?”

“Well, yeah? Unless you don’t want that?”

“Of course I want that! You silly glitch..” His boyfriend chuckled, leaning down to nuzzle his cheek. The sun was completely gone now, and Ink burrowed his face into the top of the overly large sweater; it was soft, and smelled distinctly like Error. 

There was a big possibility that Ink would be keeping this one for himself.

“I honestly didn’t think you’d feel the same.” The larger boy’s voice was quiet now, in the tone he used when he was going to open up about something, or talk about his feelings. 

“How couldn’t I?” Ink responded with a smile, quoting what Error had said earlier; when he didn’t laugh, the boy frowned, shifting a bit to try and look at him. “Error?”

“I… I could make a list of why you wouldn’t love me. I’m sure I have, subconsciously.” He grew silent, then continued. “My dad really fucked with my head, Ink. You know this and… dating me isn’t going to be easy.”

Now the white skeleton turned fully, sitting on his knees and facing his partner, cupping his skull with his hands. “My mom used to tell me that nothing good comes easy.” He pressed a kiss to Error’s forehead. “I really, really, really care about you, and just because we might have some rough days isn’t going to change that or scare me away. I’m here for you. And I always will be.” 

The skeleton’s eyes seemed to be sparkling, and Ink would have guessed he was about to cry if it weren’t for the chuckle that left his lips, his arms wrapping around Ink and pulling him into a warm hug.

“Guess I shouldn’t be surprised you’d say that.” Another nuzzle, making the small boy giggle and squirm, shifting his body so he could kiss his new boyfriend properly. “You’re just so… caring, like that.” 

Ink playfully rolled his eyes, his cheeks blossoming once again. “So are you, Erry.”

“Erry? That one’s new.”

He shrugged, settling back now, his back pressed to the other boy’s chest, his arms still holding him. “You don’t like it?”

“No, no, I do.”

The small monster grinned to himself, snuggling closer to his boyfriend, watching the sky as the stars began to peak through. 

They decided to head back after about an hour, since the temperature had dropped a bit more, making Ink cold (even with Error’s large hoodie) and, even if he wouldn’t admit it, Ink knew that Error was getting cold too. 

“How do you think your mom will react?” The monster asked once they were about ten minutes away from the house. Ink let out a small snort at the question. His mother had known about his crush for years, and had been encouraging her son to tell him ever since the beginning; though, she did seem to back off a bit after Error started living with them.

“Oh, mom will be super happy. I think she’s wanted us to get together since, I don’t know, grade ten?”

He looked a bit shocked. “Really?”

“Mhm. She’s known for a while that I liked you, and she thinks you’re a really good guy.”

The boy hummed, turning right. “I…”

“Don’t say it.”

“Huh?”

Ink crossed his small arms, looking down. “You’re gonna apologise, aren’t you? Or say something about how you wish I could meet your kind parents, but I can’t because they’re assholes?” When his boyfriend remained quiet, he huffed. “You need to stop saying sorry for them. You can’t change how they are, even if you want to. Remember what Mrs. Flo said: You can't blame yourself, or apologise, for stuff you can’t control.” 

Error took a deep breath. “Right, yeah. Sor- uh, I’ll work on that?”

The short boy smiled at him. “There you go.” 

The taller monster was pulling up to the curb now, putting the car into park. They both took off their seatbelts and stepped out of the car; Ink noticed movement from Error’s old home - his mom was standing in the window, watching them with a look of almost… remorse on her face. The white skeleton couldn’t find it in his soul to feel bad for her; she didn’t help Error at all! He gave her a short glare, then took his partner’s hand in his own. “What are you looking at?” The small boy pulled him away before he could look back, leading them to his front door.

“Eh, nothing. I thought I saw something.”

He opened the door, and they both went inside, basking in the warmth of the home. Winter was seated on the couch in the living room, a book in her hands. She didn’t look up at them when they entered, only called out a greeting: “Hey you two.”

Error was pulling off his sneakers, and Ink haphazardly kicked his off, rushing to his mother like an excited child. “Mom, guess what?” He stood proudly in front of her, stretching his arms, making the too-big-sweater look even bigger on his small frame; he was practically swimming in it. 

The older monster looked up from her novel, her eyebrows coming together in confusion. “What are you wearing…?”

Error came over now, wrapping an arm around Ink’s slim shoulders, grinning nervously. He was a bit self-conscious of his arms - he usually kept them covered around anyone other than his new boyfriend. That wasn’t what Winter was focused on, however; her eyes were wide, a slow grin stretching over her lips. “Really?”

The small monster next to him nodded happily, giving a little hop that made Error chuckle. “Yes!!”

His mom almost lept out of her seat, immediately cooing over them, teasing and congratulationing. It took awhile for them to get away from the happy monster, claiming that they were tired, and wanted to get some sleep. 

After both of them were ready for bed, Error crawled into Ink’s bed next to him without thinking, instantly regretting it when the boy gave him a confused look. “Fuck, do you still want me to sleep on the floor?” He was already easing himself off the plush mattress, and Ink reached out and grabbed his forearm. 

“What? No, of course not! I just thought you’d want to.” He ended his sentence with a giggle that warmed his soul. He smiled softly and slid back under the sheets.

Ink curled up to his chest, nuzzling his face into the crook of his neck, and Error felt his breath catch in his throat. He was so warm, and surprising soft, and this time he wrapped his larger arms around him fully, keeping him pressed against his larger body. It was different than this morning: this time they were cuddling as a couple. It meant more, in a strange way.

Ink sighed contently, and Error could feel his lips pull up in a small smile. “Does this mean we’ll go to prom as dates?”

“Of course it does.” The white skeleton giggled, making Error coo, kissing the top of his skull. “You’re so adorable.”

Ink giggled again, grabbing onto his boyfriend's shirt gently. “Good Night, Erry”

“Good night, Inky.”

*****

Error rocked back on his heels, pushing his hands into the pant pockets of his suit, eyeing the stairs that led to the second story of Ink’s home anxiously. He could hear his boyfriend and Winter upstairs, in his room, his mother fussing and cooing over her son. He had tried to get into his room to see him once he was dressed and ready to go, but had been ushered down to the door, being told to wait.

It was his and Ink’s prom night, and the small skeleton had practically been vibrating with excitement throughout the day, and, even though Error had asked, refused to show him what he’d be wearing. The taller boy had been able to get his before him, since he ended up having a day off while Ink was at work, and afterwards the short monster had decided they wouldn’t show each other their suits until the night off - though, he did want them to match so he had asked for the colour of Error’s tux, which was a deep red. The undershirt was a reddish white, and he wore a bow tie that was also red, only a bit darker than the actual suit. 

The door upstairs opened, then footsteps coming down to him, along with Ink’s voice.

“Mom! I’m fine, would you stop - _stooop_!” He was whining at this point, making Error chuckle.

All three monster’s stop talking (or laughing, in Error’s case) when everyone was downstairs. 

Ink was wearing white pants and dress shirt, with a salmon coloured vest overtop, and a tie that was the same colour tucked delicately into it. His cheeks were flushed slightly - the taller boy was sure he was blushing as well - and his left eye was change rapidly between a heart, star, and an upside down triangle. 

“Woah.” His boyfriend walked away from his mother, who willingly let him out of her grip, and took hold of his arm, hooking it with his own. “You look incredible!” 

The comment made the black skeleton blush harder and advert his eyes. “Heh… so do you.” Ink giggled at his embarrassment, pushing up onto his tiptoes to kiss his cheek - Error still had to lean down a bit for him to do so, though.

“Ok love birds-”

“Mooom!”

She giggled, pulling out a camera she had left out on the kitchen table. “Stand in front of the door for me. I want to get a picture of you two!” 

Ink huffed next to him, but did as his mother asked. Going to stand by the front door with his taller partner; Error linked an arm around him, leaning a bit so he wouldn’t seem as tall. 

He felt awkward standing there, smiling for the picture, and was very relieved when Winter said she got a good one and they could move again. 

“Don’t go doing anyting stupid tonight! I know there’s always kids at these kinda things doing drugs or-”

“We’re not gonna do drugs mom.”

“And be careful! There’s a good chance someone spiked the punch!”

The small skeleton rolled his eyes, while his boyfriend froze for a second. It honestly hadn’t even occurred to him there would be alcohol at this event, and the thought of drinking it made him feel sick to his stomach. His father was always more hostile if he’d been drinking and, well, the drink had no appeal to the eighteen year old boy now. He felt a hand on his forearm. “You ready to go, hun?” 

Error smiled softly, taking the other boy’s hand off his arm and holding it in his hand. “Yeah. Let’s go.” Ink made it easier for him to slip out of those trains of thought, the ones that led to his father.

He was with Ink now.

Everything was good.

The two boys said their good-byes to Winter, and slipped outside into the evening air to walk to their car. “You ok, Erry? I saw how you looked when mom mentioned… you know.”

The tall monster leaned over, pecking his boyfriend on the cheek before sliding into his usual spot behind the wheel. “Yeah, I’m fine” Ink gave him a look of disbelief, making Error laugh as he pulled out of its parked position. “I’m serious, I’m ok. Don’t worry so much, Inky, it’s prom night.” He winked, making the small boy blush. “Let’s just have fun tonight, yeah?”

The student parking lot at their highschool was almost completely full by the time they got there, and there were groups of monsters littered throughout the area. Error ended up finding a parking spot that was right next to where Bylk and his little gang were milling about - both Nessues and Bylk were in traditional black tuxes, and the griffin had his arm slung around a rabbit monster’s shoulders. The girl - whom Ink didn’t recognize - was wearing a lilac dress, that covered almost nothing and was clinging to Bylk like he was a lifeline. 

“Do you know her?”

“The rabbit? Pretty sure her name’s Aspine. She’s in my science class.”

“She looks like she’s wearing lingerie.” Ink said with a giggle, unbuckling his seatbelt. 

Error snorted. “Wouldn’t be surprised if she was. She’s tried to sleep with everyone in our class.” A sudden burst of jealousy welled up in Ink, it was red hot, and burned like acid; it was a dumb thing to think about, but it bothered him none the less. His boyfriend laughed beside him, reaching out to squeeze his hand. “No need to get so jealous, I obviously said no to her.”

The white monster gave a nervous smile, and they left the car, Error grabbing ahold of his hand again once they were outside. He could tell that his partner wasn’t paying attention to them, but Ink certainly didn’t miss the way Aria and the new girl, Aspine, eyed Error, their eyes dropping from this face down to his ass, biting on their lower lip. It made him want to scream. He didn’t necessarily blame them for looking, he’d be the first to admit that his boyfriend looked fine as hell in his suit, but that didn’t mean they had to look at him like _that_ , like he was a piece of ripe fruit, fit for the taking. 

Error pulled his hand away, wrapping his arm around the smaller monster. “You can already hear the music from out here.” He knew it was petty, but Ink couldn’t help but sneak a glance behind them, smirking proudly at the two girls’ somewhat annoyed expressions. “You ready to go in?” The skeleton looked back up to his date, grinning widely, his jealousy fading into the background of his mind. 

“Hell yeah!” Error chuckled, opened one of the gym doors, and entered into the crowded room.

The gym was decorated with streamers and balloons, the only light coming from the ones that were flashing and waving around from the DJ booth on the stage at the front of the large room. The back of the gym had tables and chairs set up for groups of teens who just wanted to sit with friends. On the opposite side, there was a long table filled with sweet foods and drinks. Ink could barely see around the room - he was far too short to see over people's heads, like Error was doing, and most people were moving and dancing, making it hard to see through gaps between monsters. “I can see an open table, do you wanna go sit over there?” The ebony skeleton was leaning down so he could whisper in Ink’s ‘ear’; the music was so loud, he doubted they’d be able to hear each other if they did something different. 

Nonetheless, the short monster shook his head. “I have a better idea.” He gripped his boyfriend’s hand tightly, and began weaving through the crowd, pulling the larger monster behind him. Once they got to the other side of the gym, Ink pushed open the back door, which lead back outside. 

“Where are you taking us?”

“You’ll see.” He winked, then pushed him outside, closing the door with a thud behind the two of them. 

The back of the school was a wide open field, usually used to play football and there was a spot to play baseball or softball to the left, and at the far end of the grassy area was a smattering of trees. It was dark back here, and the music was muffled by the door and walls. Ink led them to about the middle of the field before stopping and turning back to smile at his very confused date. 

“I don’t get it, why are we out here?”

“Well..” He rocked back and forth on his heels. “I know how you feel about large crowds, and the people at our school so I thought we could just… lay out here. You can see the stars really well from behind the school.” He ended his sentence by pointing towards the sky; he was very thankful it wasn’t cloudy tonight. 

“Oh, Ink…” He laughed nervously, pulling him into a hug. “I figured you’d want to dance and stuff.” 

“I mean, I kinda do, but I’d much rather spend time with my lovely boyfriend.”

Error chuckled again, and pressed a soft kiss to his lips. When he pulled away, he smirked: “You know, I have an idea.”

“That's terrifying.” 

He rolled his eyes, but his smile never fell. “You have a bunch of romance songs on your phone, right?”

Ink flushed, pressing his warm face to the front of the other boy’s shirt. “Yeah.. how do you know that?” 

“I heard you listening to them while you were bathing once, plus it’s real obvious you like all that romantic crap. That’s not my point though - what I mean is, well… play some of them.” 

The small monster looked up, giving the boy a confused look then pulled his phone out of his pants pocket, hitting shuffle on a playlist he’d made filled with soft songs (most about love, like Error had said). “Ok… now what?” 

Error moved Ink’s hands to his shoulders, placing his on his small hips. “We dance.” 

And they did; it started out as stumbling and giggles as they tried to get into a rhythm, but soon they were swaying gently, and Ink placed his head on his boyfriend’s ribcage. His soul was warm and fuzzy in his chest, and a smile had formed on his lips; he could hear Error’s soul beating through his dress shirt, and it made him feel warm and safe. 

“Error?”

“Hm?”  
“I love you. A lot.”

He moved his face upwards, so he could see the ebony skeleton looking back down at him with love in his eye sockets. “I love you a lot too, Ink.” 

Neither boys could imagine a better way to spend their prom night as the stood there in each other's embrace, swaying gently to the songs on Ink’s phone, under the stars.

They were together, and they were happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really sorry this took so long to update, truth be told I've had it done for a while and was contemplating if I should even post the rest on here but I figured I probably should qwq


	4. Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final chapter to Ink and Error's story... for now

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For more about DystopianTale and my art projects, you can find me on [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/p/B5l28mWAbPj/?igshid=8pwo38p4b4fh) or [Tumblr](https://fandomartist1273.tumblr.com/post/189150992336/nisha-i-really-wanted-to-make-a-fanchild-soooo)

Ink: age 26  
Error: Age 27

"Is the blindfold really necessary?"  
Ink giggled, steering his taller boyfriend through their cozy home, pushing him into a chair in their dining room. "It's very necessary! It's your birthday, and I've got a surprise!"  
"You don't have to blindfold me to give me a blowjob, babe."  
"Error!" The small skeleton smacked Error's arm, his partner erupting into laughter. "Good god, you're so dirty minded sometimes."  
Ink walked away from the table, leaving Error sitting there, still blindfolded, and pulled out an ice cream cake from the freezer. He had originally wanted to bake a cake, but it would have been nearly impossible to hide that from the other monster. It would have both heated up their place and filled it with the smell of baking. Then there was the whole buying the ingredients, which would have been very suspicious to Error.  
He did however, manage to buy two candles: a two and a seven.  
Outside, snow was falling in large puffs, covering the ground in a cold, white blanket. It looked magical, and Ink hoped they'd be able to take a walk later on. The white skeleton hummed, pushing his two candles into the frosting before carefully lighting them.   
He took the cake, walked back to his boyfriend and set the cake on the table in front of him. "Ok! Take off the blindfold!"   
Error brought his hands to his face, pulling the blindfold off. He stared in surprise at the cake, then his gaze softened as he looked up to Ink, who had taken a seat adjacent to him. His cheeks were flushed, and the darker skeleton chuckled and blew out the two colourful candles. "I know you said you didn't want anything too... extravagant for your birthday, but I wanted to do something for you."   
Error reached across the table, intertwining his and Ink's fingers. "It's perfect, thank you."  
"I was thinking, since it's so pretty outside, we could go on a walk later!"  
Error chuckled, putting two pieces of cake onto plates, handing one to his partner. "Sounds good sweets, we could go to that coffee place you like so much."  
The monster nodded enthusiastically, taking a bite out of his slice of cake.   
Error helped Ink tie his scarf later that evening, laughing when the boy complained. The walk was very nice, with the large snowflakes falling around them as they walked hand in hand along the streets.   
They entered the small coffee shop - a small, cozy cafe called "See you Latte" - and the familiar sound of the bell above the door rang out. "Ink, Error! It's so good to see you two again!" The shop's owner, a small cat monster named Nari, greeted them as she started getting their usual drinks prepared. The two monsters came here very often, and as a result the owner and most of the workers all knew them very well. Ink happily struck up a conversation with Nari and her employees, while Error opted to take a seat, letting his gaze wander around the warm building. It wasn't busy tonight, there were only three other customers: what appeared to be another couple, and a student working on some project of theirs.  
The two skeleton's got their drinks and, despite Error's protests, Ink paid. Sitting at their table, ideally playing footsie under the table, Ink easily rambled; and the two joked and laughed loudly with each other, both of their souls warm and fuzzy from the other's presence. At one point, the student gave them a sharp glare, which only made Error laugh more.   
Eventually, once they finished their warm beverages, they bid farewell to the owner who was getting ready to close the cafe, and stepped back into the chilled night air.  
At home, they had a bath to warm up - nothing sexual, Ink had brought in a book and Error had spent the time reading over his shoulder, and admiring his loved one as he relaxed against him. It was his favourite way to see him; just casually relaxing in his embrace, or one of his hoodies, obviously comforfortable and happy. Slowly, Error let himself drift off in his thoughts.  
It had been many years since the boys had graduated and started dating - nine, to be exact - and they now lived in a cozy, two story home. A little after they graduated, they had moved into a small apartment. It wasn't the best, but it was their first home, and they had both loved it. Error quickly found a new full time job at a computer store - it was a job that he not only liked, but it paid better than his last job. Ink, on the other hand, got a job at a nearby library. It was quiet, peaceful and Ink had grown to love it (and his coworkers) dearly.   
When Ink turned 23, the talk of marriage had popped up between the two men. They looked for a new home and found the one they lived in now. It was roomy with a large backyard - perfect for kids! - and once they had saved up enough, they moved in.   
But, marriage plans were pushed aside when Ink's mother, Winter, passed away shortly after they moved into their new home. No one had realized the severity of Winter's illness until she told Ink when he was 21. She'd contracted a rare disease that was caused by complications during Ink's birth.  
Complications from childbirth, while rare for monsters, could not only still happen, but could take years before it is noticed. One of the rarest diseases fractures the pregnant parent's soul because the baby's soul doesn't detach properly and takes a portion of the parent's soul with them; which causes a chain reaction that eventually results in the parent's death. This chain reaction, unfortunately, takes years to occur and is very hard to detect in the earlier stages. Treatment is nonexistent for monsters with this disease because, once it is found, there is nothing that can be done to reverse the damage.  
After her death, Ink immediately started to blame himself; he felt that if he hadn't been born, his mother would still be alive.  
Seeing Ink fall into such a low place ...terrified Error. He knew what it was like to fall into a mind pit like that and he never wanted his loved one to feel the way he had. So he helped his boyfriend in all the ways he could think of. Of course he gave the small skeleton space and time to grieve, but Error made sure to remind him that he was loved and cared for by bringing up happy memories time and time again. He never questioned when Ink would suddenly become cuddly, practically clinging to the taller monster. He also got Ink to, begrudgingly, see a therapist to help him heal; the therapist helped Ink to see that his mother's death wasn't his fault. Although, if you asked him, Ink would deny it.   
Even though Ink was now doing a lot better, marriage and kids never seemed to come up in their conversations anymore. A part of Error assumed it was because Ink didn't want either of those things anymore, especially after what had happened with his mother.  
Coming back to the situation at hand, Error blinked up at Ink. He had a towel wrapped around his body and was handing the other towel to the monster who was still in the tub. Taking the towel, he unplugged and drained the tub before drying off and getting dressed for bed. Leaving the attached bathroom, Error crawled beneath the pile of blankets on their shared bed. With Ink's hatred of the cold, Error always made sure their bed was layered with blankets to ensure his boyfriend was always comfortable and warm. Ink followed him closely and snuggled up next to the ebony skeleton, his face nuzzling into the crook of his neck.   
"Hey Ink?"  
The small monster hummed in response, turning to look up at him.   
"I..." He wanted to ask if Ink would ever want to marry him, have a family, but... well, he was a bit scared of the answer. If Ink didn't want to, of course that was ok with Error, he was happy just as long as they were together. Plus, he didn't want to somehow make Ink uncomfortable because of the question. "Nevermind, it's not important." He kissed the top of his boyfriend's skull.   
"Oh, come on Erry." Ink pushed away so that they were an arm's length away. "We said we'd always talk to each other. So tell me what's bothering you."  
Error sighed; he loved Ink with all his soul, but he sometimes wished the other skeleton couldn't read him so easily. "Would you still want us to get married someday..?"  
"What? Of course I do! Oh goodness, is that what you were worried about?" Ink giggled, curling up to his chest again. "You're so silly sometimes."  
Error laughed nervously, nuzzling his partner. "Mh... I love you hun."  
Ink yawned. "I love you too." 

*****   
"Wait, he hasn't proposed yet?!"  
Ink looked up at his coworker - Ray was the only human he actually knew, and they met each other through their work and had quickly become good friends. She had dark skin and shoulder length dark brown hair, one side of it cut to her scalp. Her hair was dyed purple at the tips, which Ink found fascinating. "Nope."  
Honestly, Ink was as surprised as Ray. After Error had asked that question about marriage on his birthday, he has assumed he was planning on proposing that week, or not long after, but here he was, four months later, and Error still had yet to pop the question.   
"Haven't you two been together for, what, seven years now?"   
"Our ten year anniversary is in a few days, actually." He turned back to shelving books. "Error has always taken his time with these sort of things, but this is... well, I figured we'd be married and maybe starting a family by now."   
Behind him, Ray cleared her throat rather loudly. Ink turned, then froze. Beside her stood a very worried looking Error, holding a brown paper bag. "Honey! What.. what are you doing here?" His gaze slipped to Ray, who was slowly backing away from them.  
"You forgot your lunch so I made something for you..." His voice wavered and he looked down. Ink bit his lip, he'd definitely heard what Ink had said.   
"Error, look, I didn't mean it like that."  
"... am I taking too long? Are you going to-"  
"No. I'm not leaving." He sighed, taking the paper bag and setting it aside. "Look at me Erry." The black skeleton did as he was told, and Ink reached up on his tip toes, cupping his face. "Yeah, as a kid I always pictured being married and having kids by 26, but that doesn't mean I'm upset about how things turned out. I love you, and I'm ok with waiting until you're ready."  
"But-"  
Ink kissed him, ending his sentence. "You don't need to explain anything, I understand, ok? And I'm not mad. At all." He pressed a kiss to his boyfriend's nasal ridge for good measure, then let him go. "thank you for the lunch - I don't know how I forgot it again."   
He giggled and Error rolled his eyes, his nervous demeanor changing back to his cocky attitude. "You've always been forgettful as fuck."   
Ray popped back up around the corner. "Aspine's saying she wants you at the front Ink." Ray dramatically rolled her eyes, clearly displaying her distaste for the rabbit monster. Not that Ink liked her very much either: ever since highschool she'd been hitting on Error, and hasn't stopped even though they were now all adults and he was clearly taken.   
"Probably saw me come in and wants to get you away from me." Error said with a snort, smirking when Ink's face turned down to a pout. He never took things like this seriously. As far as he is concerned, no one's fruitless flirting would make him leave his cute little boyfriend.   
Ink sighed. "I hate working front desk. People always ask me why a child is working."   
"Weeeeeell-"  
"Don't you start."  
The ebony skeleton chuckled, leaning down and giving him a gentle kiss. "I'll leave you to it then, see ya later hun."  
"Bye Erry." He waited a minute, watching him leave, then made his way to the front desk; mentally preparing himself for all the annoying comments and looks.

*****

Error patted his pockets, feeling the hard lump of the ring box and blew out a puff of air. Was this a good idea? He had been planning this before he heard Ink talking to his friend about it in the library, but what if Ink thinks he did this because of that overheard conversation and gets upset?  
He was sitting in their car, parked outside of the old Library that his boyfriend worked at, a fully packed picnic basket sitting in the back seat with a folded blanket on top. A few weeks ago, while mindlessly scrolling through social media on one of his breaks, he had seen something about a meteor shower happening on this day. After doing more research about it, he learned that it only happens every 5000 years, and is told to be very beautiful.   
It was just what he was looking for.   
He packed a rather large picnic basket after dropping off Ink's lunch - he had made sure to take the day off in order to get everything ready, and planned to take Ink out to "their" hill right after the boy was done work.   
There, under the spectacular meteor shower, he planned to propose.   
He just hoped everything would go as planned.   
The library was one of the older buildings in the city; Blightview was a very old city, but modern architecture gave it a very modern look despite that. The building was made from thick stone, with small details carved into them; Error decided it was a very nice building to look at. One of the large, dark wood doors opened, and out walked Ink, chatting amicably to his friend, Ray. Error didn't know her well, but from what Ink had told him, she seemed nice, albeit a bit strange. The small monster's gaze found the black skeleton, and he waved excitedly, bringing a small grin to Error's face. Ink said goodbye to his friend, who also waved to Error, then practically sprinted to the car, flopping into the passenger seat. "Hi sweetie!"  
"Hey sweetheart." He quickly kissed his cheek bone, then pulled the car out of park, driving away from the large building. "How do you feel about going on a picnic?"   
"Huh?" He noticed the basket in the backseat, understanding washing over his features. "Oh! That certainly came out of nowhere, but it sounds nice!"  
"I read about a meteor shower happening tonight, I figured we could go to the hill and watch it together."  
Ink giggled, making Error's soul sing in his chest. Funny how, even after all these years, small things like that never failed to make him feel that. "That sounds lovely~ Maybe later we could have a little "meteor shower" of our own~"  
Error snorted. "And you say I'm the dirty minded one?"  
*****  
By the time they made it out to the hill, the sun was nearly gone, sinking into the ground, bleeding into the sky with oranges and pinks. Ink helped Error lay out the blanket and unpack the basket, even though the ebony monster had insisted that he didn't need any help.   
Once everything was out, Ink snuggled up to his boyfriend, nuzzling into his chest. A moment of panic crossed over the larger monster - the ring was literally in his pocket, what if Ink felt it? It would ruin the whole surprise.   
But the small monster didn't say anything, holding his plate of food and watching the sky as the stars started peaking out.   
"A lot of things have happened here."  
Error hummed, following Ink's gaze to the sky. "You got that right."  
"Our lives.. always seem to lead us here. It's our spot."  
The two were silent for a moment after that, eating their food and watching the starry sky, waiting for the star show.   
"I believe... that everyone has that one person they were meant for. Like their souls are connected to each other, even before they bond. Somebody who, no matter what happens, you always end up with, and love. Nothing could pull them apart." He looked to his boyfriend, small tears in the corners of his large eyes. "You're that person for me Error. I... I can't even begin to express how much I love you, and appreciate you in my life."  
Error cooed, using his thumb to wipe away his tears. "Ink... there's another reason I wanted to take you o-"  
The white monster suddenly gasped, pointing to the sky. "Look! It's starting!!"  
Error turned, his eye's widening as he took in the sight before him. It was like bright shooting stars were falling from everywhere in the sky, trailing bright pinks, blues and every colour of the rainbow. It lit up the sky and the ground with stunning colours. It was gorgeous.   
Despite that, it was Ink's face that made Error melt. The boy's eyes were huge, the lights reflecting in them, and shining on his already flushed face. His mouth was pulled up in a smile as he stared up in wonder at the sky.   
Now's the time.  
Carefully, the skeleton took his lover's hand and stood, pulling up the small monster with him. "Ink, I need to ask you something." His voice was hushed and Ink pulled his eyes away from the sky to lock eyes with him. He looked so perfect.   
Error slowly went down on one knee, letting go of Ink's hand, he pulled out the small box from his pocket. Realizing what was happening, Ink's hand flew up to cover his mouth, new tears forming in his eyes.   
"I've never loved someone as much as I love you. I... don't know what I would have done without you, you've helped me through so much, and for that I'll always be grateful." He opened the small box, the ring inside reflecting the bright and colourful lights around them. The ring was engraved with small carvings along the band, leading to a small blue crystal in the center. After learning that Ink's last name, Agate, was actually the name of a crystal, he knew that that would be perfect for the ring. "Ink... will you make me the happiest monster in the world, and marry me?"  
The white skeleton was smiling, tears falling freely from his eye sockets. "Yes... Yes!! Of course I'll marry you!!" Error grinned widely, tears forming in his own eyes. He carefully slid the glimmering ring onto Ink's small finger then stood up, wrapping his arms around him.   
Ink was crying, gripping Error's shirt and rambling about how happy he was as Error suddenly picked him up, twirling him around, erupting giggles from the monster. "I love you so fucking much." He hummed, pushing away his tears and kissing his new fiance.   
Still giggling, Ink placed his hands on either side of Error's skull, placing their foreheads together. "I think this is the start of all the bad stuff being behind us, right?"  
"Oh definitely." Error nuzzled Ink, who happily nuzzled him back. The ebony skeleton sat back down, his partner curled up to his chest as they watching the stunning meteor shower. Together. In each other's arm.  
Life was perfect. And Error had never felt so happy, and lucky.  
"I mean, what could wrong now?"

~The End~  
Ink and Error will return in DystopianTale

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for reading <3

**Author's Note:**

> ~Thank you for reading!~


End file.
